Watson Wyatt investment strategy given a facelift

The consulting firm has created a new post of UK head of investment strategy and has appointed Chris Ford, who has recently returned from three-year stint in the United States, to the position.

“We are responding to the need of a growing number of our clients for risk budgeting. Previously, we had no particular focus in this direction and no particular team handling this.

“Our focus has now shifted much more to risk and this is why we have changed the focus of our investment strategy team,” said a spokesman.

In 2003, Watson Wyatt added 23 pension fund clients for a new service - risk budgeting.

Ford, who has been with company for over 10 years, is tasked with ensuring that the investment strategy team integrates strategic thinking into the other elements of investment consultancy using risk budgeting methodology.

Nick Watts, European head of investment consulting at Watson Wyatt, said: “Investment strategy advice is now much more multi-dimensional than in the past and trustees and companies alike are increasingly recognising the critical importance of this area.

“As a result we continue to broaden the skills that we require to meet the challenges presented by this new investment environment.”

Watson Wyatt has also appointed Iain Beattie and Treeve Coomber as senior investment consultants and they join from Edinburgh Fund Managers and Fitch Risk Management respectively.

Beattie will be based in Edinburgh to help develop Watson Wyatt’s presence in Scotland while Coomber will join the new investment strategy team in Reigate.

Watts said: “During the past year we have systematically increased the our skill base, knowledge and capacity in key areas such as derivative strategies and risk management so as to maintain focus on our clients’ changing needs. It is crucial to our future success that we continue to build our resources in these areas.”

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