Schroders has announced the appointment of David Heard and Ray David as equity analysts within the Australian equities team.

Both will report to Justin Halliwell, head of research and commence their roles in late July 2012.

The appointments restore the size of the Schroders Australian equities team to 13 portfolio managers, analysts and traders.

The company said an important criterion for their selection as equity analysts was a strong cultural fit with Schroders’ existing Australian equities team.

The appointments were made in response to the departures of Kent Jensen and Alex Mears in late March 2012.

David Heard joins Schroders from Merrill Lynch Global Research, where he was a director and senior research analyst for Australian energy stocks.

Ray David joins from UBS in Sydney where he held the position of director and analyst for emerging Australian companies.

“Investing in high quality staff has always been a priority for Schroders and we are delighted to be able to attract analysts of both David’s and Ray’s caliber,” says Martin Conlon, Schroders’ head of Australian equities.

“Between them they have significant experience and we are excited about the benefits their different viewpoints will bring to our team.”