Senior IT appointment at Ascentric
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
Ascentric, the Independent Wrap Provider, announces two key Management appointments, David Harvey, as IT Director and Alex Mitchell, the new Programme Manager. Investment Funds Direct Ltd (IFDL), based in Bath and London, trade as Ascentric, the Independent Wrap service for IFAs and Fundsdirect, the fund supermarket for direct investors.
David Harvey will head the IT function at IFDL with prime responsibility for the delivery of new Wrap and White Label functionality. He started his career in IT working on stockbroking systems and has been involved in the development and management of financial systems throughout. He brings to the company a wealth of knowledge and experience of investment platforms and effective IT management.
Alex Mitchell will be responsible for the implementation of company wide change management and core developments and will work closely with David overseeing internal and client-initiated projects as well as working on IT operations and strategy. Alex has over 25 years experience in IT and programme management with 20 years in the financial sector.
Michael Fordham, Business Development Director of Ascentric said, "Our IT systems are central to all the services we provide and we are proud that the Ascentric Wrap platform is regarded as one of the sector leaders. The appointments of David and Alex will strengthen our IT management team further and ensure the Ascentric platform remains at the forefront of the wrap market".
-ENDS-
For further information please contact:
Ascentric
Michael Fordham
Business Development Director
E-mail: michael.fordham@ascentric.co.uk
Tel: 0207 553 9170
Mobile: 07718538541
Concise Public Relations Ltd
Martin Wood
Tel: 01252 656435
Mobile: 07946 527240
Notes to Editors
About Ascentric
Ascentric and Fundsdirect are the trading names of Investment Funds Direct Limited.
Investment Funds Direct Limited was founded in 1982, and Fundsdirect launched as the UK's first online fund supermarket in December 1999. Since that time, the company has built on their reputation as a leading UK fund supermarket to provide Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) with a Wrap service under the brand name of Ascentric.
Ascentric is a whole of market Wrap service, available exclusively to IFAs and offers a fully integrated online investment management and dealing platform. It also enables IFAs to transfer their clients' assets onto a single platform to provide them with the ability to manage their client's financial needs in just one place. This is obviously a considerable enhancement to the existing, time-consuming practice of IFAs introducing their clients to a number of different product providers.
In October 2007, a majority holding of Investment Funds Direct Group Limited was acquired by Royal London Group.
For further information about Ascentric and Fundsdirect, please visit either www.ascentric.co.uk or www.fundsdirect.co.uk
Royal London Group is a specialist financial service provider. Its businesses focus on those sectors of the market which value premium propositions, operating through a number of brands:
- Scottish Life – UK pensions market
- Bright Grey – UK protection market
- Scottish Life International – offshore investment markets
- Scottish Provident International – offshore investment markets
- RLAM – fund management
- RLAS – life and pensions administration
- Fundsdirect / Ascentric – funds supermarket; Wrap Platform
Royal London is one of the stronger life and pension companies in the UK, and has a strong track record for with-profits performance.
Royal London is the largest mutual life and pensions company in the UK with Group funds under management of £32.6 billion. Group businesses serve around three million customers and employ 2,630 people (figures quoted are as at 31 March 2008).
David Harvey: Career History – 10 years in the IT Industry working for companies including TCA Synergo Ltd which became ADP Wilco, Royal Bank of Scotland and Société Générale.
Alex Mitchell: Career history - 25 years in IT with 20 years in the financial sector. He worked at LIFFE, Computershare Technology Services, AIM Ltd (small software house in Trowbridge – not the Exchange), Princeton Financial Systems, a State Street company.