PIMFA appoints Alison Moynihan as Chair of its Private Investors Indices Committee

28 September 2021

PIMFA appoints Alison Moynihan as Chair of its Private Investors Indices Committee

PIMFA, the trade association for the wealth management and financial advice industry, is delighted to announce, the appointment of Alison Moynihan, Partner and Head of Performance at Tilney Smith & Williamson as the first female Chair of its Private Investors Indices Committee.

Alison joined Smith & Williamson in 2002 and currently heads up the performance and risk team at Tilney Smith & Williamson, following the merger of Tilney and Smith & Williamson in September 2020. Prior to joining Smith & Williamson, she worked for Julius Baer Investments Limited as head of performance and had performance roles at HSBC Asset Management and Nomura International.

She was appointed to the role of chair of the Private Investors Indices Committee in September having served on the committee for the past 10 years, replacing Mark Bulsing, Head of Investment Risk at Investec, who is standing down as chair after two years.

The role of the Private Investors Indices Committee, which meets on a quarterly basis, is to make sure that the current asset allocations of the MSCI PIMFA Index Series’ are reflective of the strategic asset allocations of PIMFA member firms.

PIMFA Member firms are surveyed on the strategic asset allocations of their model portfolios on a quarterly basis, with the latest survey having been sent out to PIMFA members on Monday (27 September). Once received, submissions are aggregated with the results examined by the committee. Adjustments are made to the index weights, if necessary, to ensure that the indices remain appropriate and representative of the market. The committee also discusses the appropriateness of current underlying indices, new potential asset classes and examines any relevant output from the indices working group.

Liz Field, Chief Executive of PIMFA, commented: “I am delighted that Alison Moynihan has agreed to become the next, and first female, Chair of PIMFA’s Private Investors Indices Committee. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role not only from her own career but also from having served on the committee for a decade already. I have every confidence she will make an excellent chair of the committee and look forward to continuing to work with her.

“I’d also like to extend my thanks to Mark Bulsing for his leadership of the committee as chair over the past two years, which included the launch of our new Equity Risk Index Series and during what has been a turbulent time for investors, particularly in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Alison Moynihan, Chair of the Private Investors Indices Committee, commented: “After being a member of the committee for around 10 years, it was an honour to be asked to become the new Chair of the Private Investors Indices Committee.

The Private Investors Indices provide an important industry benchmark comparator for both clients and Investment Managers to assess, and to put into context, the performance returns achieved within portfolios.

“MSCI independently calculates the indices with data going back some 15 years to 2006. Under the suit of MSCI PIMFA indices available, are a set of objective-based indices and a more recently introduced set of risk-based indices. Both sets are intended to provide a benchmarking solution, which complements the portfolio’s mandate style.”

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Notes to Editors:

Find out more about the PIMFA Indices at: https://www.pimfa.co.uk/indices/

If you would like to enquire about Asset Allocation Changes to the Private Investor Indices Series, please contact indices@pimfa.co.uk or call 020 7448 7100. Or to become a member of PIMFA email membership@pimfa.co.uk

For any historical data or licensing of the Indices Series, please contact MSCI on 020 7618 2222 or email at clientservice@msci.com

About PIMFA – the Personal Investment Management & Financial Advice Association

• PIMFA is the trade association for firms that provide investment management and financial advice to everyone from individuals and families to charities, pension funds, trusts and companies.
• The sector currently looks after £1.5 trillion in private savings and investments and employs over 55,000 people.
• PIMFA represents both full and associate member firms. Full members provide a range of financial solutions including financial advice, portfolio management, as well as investment and execution services. They assist everyone from individuals to families, to charities and pension funds, all the way to trusts and companies. Associate members provide professional services to the PIMFA community.
• PIMFA leads the debate on policy and regulatory recommendations to ensure that the UK remains a global centre of excellence in the wealth management, investment advice and financial planning arena. Our mission is to create an optimal operating environment so that its member firms can focus on delivering the best service to clients, providing responsible stewardship for their long-term savings and investments.
• PIMFA was created in 2017 as the outcome of a merger between the Association of Professional Financial Advisers (APFA) and the Wealth Management Association (WMA) with a history as a trade association since 1991 – read more.
• Further information can be found at pimfa.co.uk
• To become a member of PIMFA for access to training, benefits and discounts, please visit https://www.pimfa.co.uk/become-a-member or contact us directly at membership@pimfa.co.uk

Contact

For further information on this release or other press matters please contact:

Matthew West, PIMFA PR Manager – MatthewW@pimfa.co.uk, +44 (0)20 7382 0376

Sheena Gillett, PIMFA Communications & PR Director – sheenag@pimfa.co.uk, +44 (0)20 7011 9869 / +44 (0)7979 493225