FIRMS should give employees who smoke help to kick the habit when the government's smoking ban comes into force later this year, a health advisory group says.

UK - The Pensions Regulator has for the first time used its muscle to ban a chairman from acting as a trustee of any pension scheme.

THE PENSIONS Regulator has banned an individual from acting as a trustee of any pension scheme - the first time it has used its powers in this way.

EUROPE - Boudewijn van Loen has joined Perennial Real Estate Investments (PREI) as senior portfolio manager, Europe.

GLOBAL - The Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA) has added two to its Hong Kong and London branches with the appointment of a director and research consultant respectively.

Standard Life cuts back on investing in office space; Promise of free financial advice for all adults; Pearl Group policyholders set for £500m

AXA INVESTMENT Managers has joined the Enhanced Analytics Initiative - bringing the organisation's total assets under management to €1.8trn (£1.2trn).

UK - Bedfordshire County Council Pension Fund has appointed JP Morgan Asset Management to manage a £20m currency mandate.

THE £2.8bn Hampshire County Council Pension Fund has appointed Northern Trust as its first global custodian, to provide custody, performance measurement and securities lending services.

GLOBAL - The decision by AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) to join the Enhanced Analytics Initiative (EAI) for better investment research has raised the initiative's total assets under management to more than US$2trn.