United Kingdom

UK - Software company Aqera has appointed Haydn Lewis as its new sales director.

UK - National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) investment council chairman Alan Rubenstein is standing down and his replacement is expected to be announced at the Association's annual conference in May.

UK - Bond ratios in UK pension funds could rise to match equity allocations in the next two to three years, according to F&C Management.

UK - Hermes Pensions Management, the British Telecom-owned fund management group, has appointed Rod Selkirk as its new head of private equity.

UK - Challenger International, the Australian financial services group has chosen Marlborough Stirling's third party administration (TPA) services as the foundation on which to launch and build its new UK operation.

UK / JAPAN - Bank failures look set to plunge Japan's economy into crisis, Tilney Asset Management is warning pension funds with investments there.

UK - Firms looking to cut costs by closing their final salary pension schemes could in fact be adding to their cost base, according to Aon Consulting.

UK - KPMG is carrying out a study on a proposed merger between the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the British Bankers' Association.

UK - David Brennan has been named as Baring Asset Management's (BAM) new chairman and chief executive, replacing incumbent John Bolsover, who is retiring in June.

UK - Martin Currie, the independent investment management group, has hired a new telecoms analyst.