United Kingdom

UK - Watson Wyatt has appointed Kevin Carter as a senior consultant in its investment practice.

UK - Dutch financial giant ING has poached Igno van Waesberghe to head up its UK operations.

UK - Active manager Gartmore has appointed Frances Davies to head up its global institutional business in a bid to boost growth.

UK - Two shareholder meetings are worthy of note in the week starting January 28, according to corporate governance specialists Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS).

UK - Phillips & Drew was the best performing asset manager in 2001, producing a -7.2% return in a year which saw the value of UK pension funds fall by 11.3%, according to HSBC Actuaries & Consultants.

UK - A compromise deal put forward by beleaguered insurer Equitable Life looks likely to go ahead - thanks to pension funds.

UK - Pressure has grown on the government to reform annuity law after a private member's Bill passed a second reading in the House of Commons.

UK - Actuaries continue to be taught palpable untruths and have been battered by accountants, a new survey of actuarial assumptions reveals.

UK/EUROPE - Scottish Widows International is launching an offshore US dollar with-profits fund and Euro with-profits fund via its international investment bond from January 18.

UK - Beleaguered asset manager Schroder Investment Management has discovered that it had overstated its profits for the year 2000 by approximately £11m, after discovering errors in the preparation of its accounts.