The latest hires, promotions and appointments for the week ending 24 July 2026.
Professional trustee firm Vidett has hired five new staff to support its growth ambitions. Nicci Wyborn and Rudi Smith have joined as client directors, while Ed Crowe is the firm’s new head of risk and compliance. Farid Nachif has joined as a manager and Selena Laye has joined as a personal assistant in Vidett’s support team.
Wyborn joins from Pinsent Masons where she led complex pension scheme projects for large clients. She worked for the law firm for 24 years.
Smith previously spent 26 years at WTW advising trustees and corporate pension clients on defined contribution and defined benefit arrangements.
Crowe joined Vidett earlier this year from Intertek Group, where he worked for more than 10 years across corporate governance, operational excellence, investigations and data protection.
Nachif joins from Zedra where he worked for three years. He has also worked for in-house and third-party administrations teams, and started out at the Pensions Regulator.
Vidett chief executive officer Wayne Phelan said: “As demand for our services continues to grow, investing in talented people is essential to ensuring we continue to deliver the high standards of governance, support and trusted advice our clients rely on. We look forward to seeing each of them make a real contribution as part of the Vidett team.”
Kaushik joins Aptia’s consulting team
Aptia is continuing to grow its new consulting arm and has appointed Jyotsna Kaushik as head of modelling and monitoring.
She joins from Standard Life where she held several senior roles across its quant engineering and asset-liability management functions. She has also worked in actuarial roles at PwC, Partnership Assurance (now Just Group), JLT, and Paternoster (now Rothesay).
Kaushik is a fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and is a member of its main council and its finance and investment board. She is also the immediate past president and founding member of the Indian Actuarial Network UK.
Ian Burns, head of investment consulting at Aptia, said Kaushik’s appointment was “a significant addition” to the team, adding: “As pension schemes and insurers increasingly rely on sophisticated modelling to support investment decisions and risk management, Jyotsna’s expertise will be instrumental in helping our clients navigate complexity and make informed decisions with confidence.”
Kaushik said: “The pensions and investment landscape is evolving rapidly, creating new opportunities for innovation, better use of data and more sophisticated modelling approaches… I look forward to working with the business to further enhance our modelling and monitoring capabilities and help clients address increasingly complex investment and risk management challenges.”
New project management head at Hymans
Linda Jardine has been promoted to head of project management at Hymans Robertson. The consultancy group said the promotion reflected that pension schemes were “facing an increasingly complex range of decisions” as well as a shifting regulatory landscape.
In her new role, Jardine will help clients “turn strategy into successful delivery”, Hymans said.
She joined the company 12 years ago from Mercer and has worked on many complex transactions including consolidation projects, scheme mergers, and endgame work.
Jardine said: “Pension schemes are navigating an increasingly complex environment, from endgame planning and scheme consolidation to retirement adequacy, administration change and regulatory projects.
“More than ever, clients need confidence that change will be delivered effectively, with strong governance, meticulous planning and a firm focus on achieving the right outcomes for members. Project management plays a critical role in bringing these elements together.”
Gowling promotes seven in pensions team
Gowling WLG has promoted seven lawyers within its UK pensions teams in London and Birmingham.
Bren Albiston, Frances Binns, Josh Sheppard and Charlotte Whitehead have been promoted to principal associate, while James Barnett, Sophia Hoondle and Danielle Robinson have been promoted to senior associate. They are all members of Gowling WLG’s Commercial, Employment and Pensions practice.
Elizabeth Gane, partner and UK head of pensions at Gowling WLG, said: “The pensions market continues to evolve rapidly, with trustees and employers facing complex legal, regulatory and strategic challenges. These promotions further strengthen our ability to support clients across the full range of pensions issues and underline our commitment to developing the next generation of leaders within the practice.”
Byrne appointed to new role at State Street
Alistair Byrne has been named head of UK and Ireland client coverage at State Street Investment Management as part of a wider change at the top of the asset manager’s European business.
In a statement, State Street said Byrne would focus on “driving growth” and “strengthening collaboration” to ensure a “coordinated experience for clients”.
Marie-Anne Heeren, head of Europe client coverage at the company, said Byrne’s expertise, as well as that of other appointments on the continent, would help “underpin our approach to client servicing”.
Mansour to lead M&G’s tech team
M&G has hired Matt Mansour as chief technology and AI officer with effect from September, subject to regulatory approval. He replaces Chris Cochrane, who is leaving the company after eight years at the end of this month.
Mansour was most recently chief operating officer at SMBC Group, with responsibility for “AI enablement and next-gen technology”, according to a press release. He was a co-founder of AI start-up kAIgentic, and has previously worked in senior technology roles at QBE Insurance, Barclays, and General Electric.
M&G chief executive Andrea Rossi said: “Technology, data and AI will play an increasingly important role in supporting our growth ambitions, enhancing the experience we deliver for clients and colleagues, and helping us operate more efficiently and effectively.
“Matt brings deep technology expertise, significant leadership experience and a strong track record of delivering transformation at scale. I am delighted to welcome him to M&G and look forward to working with him as we continue to modernise and simplify our business.”
Mansour added: “As technology continues to transform our industry, the thoughtful application of AI has great potential to unlock long-term value for clients, shareholders and employees.”
