Distribution veteran Neil Brown joins Dan Kemp at Portfolio Thinking

Brown most recently served as head of distribution at Allianz Global Investors

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Neil Brown, former head of UK distribution at Allianz Global Investors, has joined Portfolio Thinking.

The firm, which was founded by Morningstar’s Dan Kemp at the start of the year, is an investment consultancy and research platform designed for advisers, wealth managers and institutional clients. The ‘investment thinktank’ will incorporate AI into its operations to aid professional investors with client communications and maintaining their investment discipline.

Brown joins as a founder and company director. He has more than 28 years of industry experience, having most recently worked as distribution head at AllianzGI from 2020 to April last year. Prior to this, he spent more than 20 years at M&G, most recently serving as the company’s head of UK wholesale and institutional sales.

Dan Kemp, founder of Portfolio Thinking, said: “I have had the pleasure of knowing Neil for over two decades, and his reputation in the UK distribution landscape is simply second to none.

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“Bringing someone of Neil’s calibre and pedigree on board is a clear testament to our ambition and the opportunities we see to support advisers around the world.

“Neil has a deep understanding of the evolving needs of advisers and is the ideal leader to build our client team around. I am excited to be working alongside him as we grow the business,” Kemp continued.

Brown said he is “delighted” to be joining Portfolio Thinking, adding Kemp is “held in high regard across our industry and rightly so”.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge of growing a business from the ground up,” Brown said. “The importance of sound financial advice has never been greater and yet advisers and planners are constantly being pulled in different directions.

“Portfolio Thinking aims to alleviate this burden by delivering exceptional investment solutions, clarity of messaging and regulatory peace of mind. I cannot wait to get to work.”