AIMSE Europe’s Advisory Council
Council Members
AIMSE Europe’s Advisory Council is made up of key personnel from the industry, all of which volunteer to dedicate their time to AIMSE Europe and contribute significantly to our success
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Board Committee
Ashley Manning-Brown
Pluto Finance
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Ashley, with 19 years of experience in the field, joined Pluto in 2023 as the Head of UK Investor Sales. In this role, Ashley’s primary responsibilities include fostering investor relationships and spearheading fundraising initiatives. Before joining Pluto, Ashley dedicated 15 years to Columbia Threadneedle Investments, where he served as the Institutional Director and Head of Consultant Relations in the UK. In this capacity, he played a pivotal role in managing client and consultant relationships, driving business development, and ensuring successful commercial outcomes for a diverse clientele comprising DB, DC, LGPS pension funds, charities, foundations, insurance providers, and endowments.
Tim Brown
Northern Trust Asset Management (NTAM)
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Tim Brown is responsible for driving the sales strategy and expanding Northern Trust Asset Management’s presence in the UK, a strategic priority in the firm’s growth strategy. He joined NTAM in February 2025 from Dimensional Fund Advisors, where he served as Head of Institutional and EMEA Consultant Relations Group. He has more than 25 years of industry experience, also working at Credit Suisse and UBP during his career. Tim earned a bachelor’s degree with honours in History at the University of Cardiff.
Catriona Buckley
CBRE Investment Management
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Catriona Buckley, CFA is a Senior Director within CBRE Investment Management’s Client Solutions team. Based in London, Catriona is responsible for ensuring client engagement across U.K. & Irish investors, including local government pension schemes, defined contribution platforms, consultants and multi-managers. Prior to joining CBRE IM in 2023, Catriona worked at Gresham House, a specialist alternative asset manager. There she was responsible for consultant relations as well as direct institutional sales in defined benefit and defined contribution pension schemes, supporting capital-raising objectives across real estate, sustainable infrastructure, forestry and other real assets programs. Previously, Catriona worked at Fidelity International, a global financial services company, where she was responsible for U.K. consultant relations with a particular focus on the firm’s real estate, credit and fixed income capabilities. She started her career at Allied Irish Banks in 2006, where she was part of the team responsible for managing credit securities. Catriona earned an undergraduate degree in Economics from Trinity College Dublin. She is also a CFA charter holder.
Elizabeth Debnam
State Street Investment Management
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Consultant relations professional with a background in actuarial, investment and governance consulting.
James Lindsay
Natixis Investment Management
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James Lindsay is a Director at Natixis Investment Management, representing the firms various affiliates across the UK Institutional market. He is responsible for developing and managing relationships with UK based consultants, as well as direct prospecting with DB Pension Schemes, Charities and Family Offices. James joined Natixis Investment Management in 2020 from Western Asset Management, where he was Head of UK Institutional Sales. Prior to Western, he was a Client Director and Legal & General Investment Managements for 6 years, where he was responsible for managing relationships for large DB and DC UK Pension Schemes across asset classes including LDI, Fixed Income, Equities and Real Assets. Finally he held roles at Mesirow Financial and JP Morgan. James graduated from the University of Glasgow in July 2008 where he received a BSc in Virology and is also a CFA charterholder.
Simon Males
Marathon Asset Management
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Simon Males is Managing Director in the Client Solutions and Business Development Team at Marathon Asset Management, a leading global asset manager in the public and private credit markets with $23bn AUM and $250bn+ invested since inception. Based in London, he joined the firm in 2025. Simon leads the firm’s institutional business, working closely with UK and European investors, including Corporate DB Pension Plans, Public Sector Pension Scheme pools and partner funds, DC Master Trusts, the Consultant and Fiduciary Management/OCIO community, Insurers and Private Wealth (family office, E&F, private bank) channels. Simon received an MBA from London Metropolitan University and several Professional Qualifications, including the IMC. He previously worked at Tikehau Capital, LGIM, PGIM, Pictet and F&C.
Jignasa Patel
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Jignasa leads the business development team at AMX, having joined in 2019. Previously at Willis Towers Watson as a senior research consultant in their investment consulting team, Jignasa worked in both their Sydney and London offices. Prior to joining Willis Towers Watson, Jignasa worked for Mercer Investment Consulting, initially joining the client consulting team where she focused on general investment consulting, but predominantly working in the London-based central research team as a dedicated manager researcher, across different asset clases. Jignasa is a CFA charterholder and graduated from the University of Sheffield (UK) in 1996 with a BA (Hons) in History.
Peter Walsh
Robeco
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Peter is the Managing Director, Head of UK at Robeco. In this role, Peter oversees Robeco’s activities in the UK, including sales, marketing and consultant relations. Alongside this, Peter is also the Global Head of Consultant Relations. Peter has almost 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry working in Australia, Europe and the UK. Prior to joining Robeco in 2014, Peter was Director, Distribution of ASX Listed multi-boutique business Treasury Group. Prior to this he worked in a variety of roles with Putnam Investments, Zurich Investment Management and Rothschild Asset Management, building the profile and presence of these firms with clients and consultants. Peter began his career working in manager research. Peter holds a BA in Economics from Victoria University and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from The Securities Institute of Australia where he lectured and marked a range of subjects in the Grad Dip and Masters in Applied Finance programs. Peter is a Fellow of The Financial Services Institute of Australia.Council Members
Shalin Bhagwan
Pension Protection Fund
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Shalin Bhagwan joined the Pension Protection Fund in 2023 as chief actuary. Shalin brings extensive pensions, insurance and investment experience having worked across the sector for many years. He started his career in South Africa in life insurance pricing and reserving and then transitioned into liability valuations for defined benefit pension funds. In addition, he brings significant LDI, derivative and credit portfolio management experience and has advised some of the UK’s largest pension funds on their LDI strategies both as a consultant with Mercer and portfolio manager with Legal & General Investment Management.. He is a member of the advisory panel at the Financial Reporting Council. He recently served as a member of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries’ Finance and Investment Board and as an advisory member for the task force to boost socio-economic diversity at senior levels in both the financial and professional services sectors.
Sophie Carter
LCP (Lane Clark and Peacock)
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I’m Sophie, a Partner in LCP’s Investment team. Prior to joining LCP, I was an equity fund manager. This enables me to give my clients practitioner insight into a number of investment issues such as strategy, manager selections and investment performance monitoring. I also use this expertise in my role as a member of LCP’s equity research team. Outside of LCP, I am a trustee of two charities
Sam Collings
M&G Investments
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Sam is a Director in M&G’s Institutional Distribution team. He is responsible for managing relationships with investment consultants and pension schemes in the UK and growing M&G’s institutional book of business. He joined M&G in 2014 its graduate scheme, spending time working in its Equities, Fixed Income and Multi Asset businesses. Sam graduated from The University of Sussex with a First-Class Honours degree in Economics. He is a CFA charterholder and has also completed the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing.
Ben Day
American Century Investments
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Ben is Head of UK Distribution & EMEA Consultant Relations at American Century Investments. Ben joined American Century in 2018, having previously been Head of Sales at Stratton Street Capital, a credit focussed fund since 2014. Prior to that, Ben worked at Citigroup / Legg Mason for 10 years in a variety of institutional distribution roles. He graduated from the UEA with a BA (Hons) in Business & Economics in 2003. Ben also CAIA Charterholder (2011) and has completed the IMC (2006).
Zara Din
Loomis Sayles Investments Limited
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Zara Din is a vice president of Loomis Sayles Investments Limited, Loomis Sayles’ London-based entity, and an institutional relationship director. In this role, she works with investment consultants and institutional clients across the UK and Europe. Zara has 11 years of investment industry experience and joined Loomis Sayles in 2017. Previously, she worked for six years at Schroders, building relationships with global and UK investment consultant firms and focusing on institutional clients in the UK. Zara earned a BSc in Business, Finance and Investment and an MS in Financial Services from the University of Ulster.
Harleen Eari
PIMCO
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Harleen is a vice president and account manager in the London office, covering U.K. institutional client relationships. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2021, she was a vice president in the asset management division at Goldman Sachs, where she worked closely with U.K. and Irish institutional clients. She has nine years of investment and financial services experience and holds an undergraduate degree from Warwick University.
Lisa Egan
Willis Towers Watson
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Lisa is a senior investment consultant at Willis Towers Watson working with a range of DB pension scheme clients of various sizes (sub-£100m to £3bn+) and across various industries. She is responsible for advising clients on all aspects of their investment arrangements from investment beliefs and objective setting right through to manager selection and monitoring. In addition, Lisa has also worked on two large transformational change projects in the UK and the Middle East, working with large internal teams to analyse and improve their investment processes. Prior to joining the investment industry, Lisa worked as a pharmacist having graduated from Strathclyde University in 2005 with a Masters degree in Pharmacy (MPharm). Lisa returned to university and graduated with a Masters degree in International Business (MSc) with Finance from Aston Business School in 2009. She joined Willis Towers Watson in 2010 and is a CFA charterholder.
Tony English
Mercer
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Tony English is a Principal in Mercer’s Wealth business and is based in London. Tony works with a variety of institutional investors for whom he is responsible for the provision of investment advice, including pension funds (corporate and local authority) and trust funds. Tony has over 18 years of investment experience, having joined Mercer in 1999. During this time he has been involved in a wide variety of projects, including investment strategy, manager selections, private markets, pension risk transfer and global custodian selections. Tony also regularly facilitates trustee training courses. Tony graduated with a degree in physics from the University of Warwick in 1996. He is an Associate of the CFA Society of the UK (‘CFA UK’) and a regular member of CFA Institute. Tony chairs Mercer’s UK ratings review committee and is a member of the global real estate ratings review committee. Tony represents Mercer on the investment committee of the Society of Pension Professionals’ (‘SPP’) Investment Committee and is a council member of AIMSE Europe.
Steven Hickey
Apex Investment Advisory
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Steve is an investment consultant at Apex Investment Advisory, where he advises institutional investors and family offices on their investment strategies, with a particular focus on private market allocations. His expertise covers asset allocation, portfolio construction and implementation, including fund selection and investment due diligence. Before joining Apex in 2024, Steve was a senior consultant and head of credit research at XPS Group, where he amassed extensive manager research experience across key public and private asset classes. He was also responsible for directly advising a number of trustee pension scheme clients on the full range of investment related matters. Steve is a CFA Charterholder and holds a BSc (Hons) Economics degree from the University of Liverpool, as well as the CFA UK Level 4 Certificate (formally IMC).