Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) has poached Blackrock’s Alex Hoctor-Duncan to be global sales director and head of EMEA distribution in what industry figures have termed a “great move”.
Hoctor-Duncan joins ASI after 20 years at Blackrock where he held various roles, most recently as head of its EMEA retail business.
At ASI, he will work across the EMEA region as well as co-ordinating global sales activity with Andrew Hendry, Jeff Klepacki and Noel Butwell, heads of distribution in Asia Pacific, Americas and the UK, respectively. ASI said this will improve the effectiveness of its global salesforce.
Reporting to global head of distribution Campbell Fleming (pictured), Hoctor-Duncan will be based in London. He will also work alongside chief operating officer Andrew November on the firm’s active quant and private market capabilities.
Real benefit
Jason Hollands, managing director at Tilney, said Hoctor-Duncan is “a really great hire” for ASI.
He said: “He has considerable experience leading distribution across different geographies and client types, having worked his way up from dealing with UK intermediaries as a front-line sales director to managing teams internationally.
“Like Blackrock, Aberdeen Standard has an extensive and diverse range of products and so Alex’s experience and understanding should prove a real benefit to the business.”
Darius McDermott, managing director at Chelsea Financial Services, also said Hoctor-Duncan’s extensive experience makes him “a great hire”.
Other appointments
Hoctor-Duncan’s appointment follows Phil Barker’s decision to retire at the end of this year, having worked for ASI for the past 20 years. As part of the restructure, Rik Brouwer, currently head of business development, Europe ex UK, has been promoted and will assume Barker’s regional responsibilities across our European efforts.
Elsewhere, Edris Alrafi has been appointed as head of Middle East and Africa (MEA) as part of ASI’s long-term strategy to build its presence there. He will lead a seven-strong team based in the Abu Dhabi office. He succeeds Nigel Norman who is also retiring.
Alrafi has 13 years’ experience and was previously chief executive officer at Dubai Holding LLC, which has $150bn in assets under management.
Fleming said: “Our ability to attract people of the calibre of Alex and Edris reflects the strength and appeal of Aberdeen Standard Investments.
“I wish Nigel and Phil every success on their retirement and thank them for their long service to the firm. I am very confident that Alex, Rik and Edris can further build on these efforts as we invest in our presence across the globe and in particular Europe, the Middle East and Africa.”
