Axel Kilian (pictured), head of ultra high net worth wealth management for Germany and Austria at UBS Wealth Management in Frankfurt has left the bank. Kilian, the former global head of equity derivatives distribution and European head of equity distribution for UBS in London moved to the wealth management division in 2013 reporting to Axel Hoerger, chief executive officer for Germany and Austria, and to Eva Lindholm. European head of ultra high net worth and global family offices. Kilian also sat on teh Swiss bank's securities distribution executive committee.

Kilian joined UBS from Nomura, where he the London-based head of equity cash and derivatives sales equity structured derivatives management for Europe, Middle East & Africa (Emea). Kilian joined Nomura when the Japanese bank acquired parts of the failed Lehman Brothers' European and Asian investment banking. At Lehman, Kilian had been co-head of equity sales for Emea alongside Emad Morrar. Kilian was previously at JP Morgan, where he was the co-head of equity exotics marketing.

Christopher Denruyter has been appointed global head of trading for fund-linked products and cross-asset quantitative investment strategies within global markets at HSBC. Denruyter joined the UK bank from Credit Suisse, where he was global head of fund-linked products and cross-asset quantitative investment strategies trading and where he started as a quantitative analyst on fund-linked products and interest rates exotics. The bank has also appointed Mohamed Sassi as senior trader within fund-linked products and cross asset quantitative investment strategies trading. Sassi will report to Denruyter and joins from Deutsche Bank, where he worked in hybrid structured trading and quantitative investment strategies and cross-asset risk premia development. Sassi worked previously as a fund-linked products trader at Merrill Lynch. He started his career in equity derivatives at HSBC, as a quant and then a trader.

Deutsche Asset Management has appointed Sven Württemberger as head of distribution, passive investments, Switzerland and Israel. Württemberger will be based in Zurich, and report to Simon Klein, head of distribution, passive investments, Emea and Asia-Pacific (Apac). Before rejoining the German bank's asset management division, Württemberger worked for BlackRock's iShares as director, head of iShares wealth sales Germany, after working as deputy head of iShares, Switzerland. Prior to BlackRock, he worked for Deutsche Bank and DWS Investments in sales for the distribution of structured products in Europe.

Jan Barta has joined Conseq Investment Management as an independent consultant in Warsaw, Poland. Barta was previously employed at CSOB Asset Management (part of KBC group), where he was the chairman and chief executive officer.

Russell Investments has appointed Joseph Linhares as head of Emea in London. Linhares will report to Len Brennan, chief executive officer, and serve as a member of the executive committee. Linkares joins from Blackrock, where he was finally a managing director and head of Emea iShares, after also working as US head of iShares distribution. Prior to that, he worked at Citi and JP Morgan.

Premier Asset Management has hired Geoff Kirk from Schroders to co-manage the Premier Optimum Income fund alongside Chris White. Kirk has worked on the Schroder Income Maximiser range of funds and is expected to join Premier in July 2017, when the duo will take over from Chris Wright. White will continue as manager of the Premier Monthly Income and Income funds, while Wright will remain in charge of the Premier Ethical fund and will continue as manager of the Optimum Income fund until the handover to Kirk and White. Schroders said in January it will expand the Maximiser range in January with a US strategy to add to its Asian, UK, Global and European offerings.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has re-appointed Ashley Alder as its chief executive officer for another three-year term effective from October 1, 2017. Alder joined the Hong Kong regulator from Herbert Smith in Hong Kong, where he was head of Asia corporate, and succeeded Martin Wheatley, who became managing director of the UK Financial Conduct Authority (formerly Financial Services Authority). Alder joined the law firm after working as an executive director of corporate finance at the SFC. The regulator has also re-appointed Albert Au Siu-cheung as a non-executive director for two years with effect from May 26, 2017.

State Street Corp has hired Hemant Bhide as head of its US asset owner business, and Bruce Shain as a senior vice present and client service department manager. Bhide will report to Stephen Nazzaro, executive vice president at State Street and head of asset owners for the Americas, and joins from PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he was a partner in the financial services advisory practice. Shain, who will also eport to Bhide, will assume oversight of the corporate pension, non-profit and endowment & foundation asset owner businesses. Shain was previously at Bank of New York Mellon, where he was most recently managing director and head of US corporate, government and non-profit.

Charles Thornton has been appointed director of the office of legislative affairs at the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Thornton worked previously at the US Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, where he was a senior professional and counsel. Prior to the Senate, he was counsel for Delta Strategy Group.

David Charlet has been promoted to chairman of The European Federation of Financial Advisers and Financial Intermediaries having previously been vice chairman, a role that has been taken up by Jiri Sindelar. Johannes Muschik former Fecif chairman and part of the executive team for six years was unable to stand again, although will continue to lead work on the insurance distribution directive. Charlet is the president of Anacofi, the French national association for financial advisors and intermediaries, while Sindelar is chairman of the USFCR, the main Czech association for advisers, based in Prague. In addition, Paul Stanfield was voted in for a second three-year term as the federation's secretary general. Stanfield is chief executive of the Federation of European Independent Financial Advisers and will continue that role.