Mason Stevens hires fixed income specialist

Mason Stevens has hired Andrew Baume as interim head of fixed income pending the outcome of a search for a top FI investment professional.

Baume - who reports to investment chief Jacqueline Fernley -  replaces Jesse Imer who recently joined the Victorian Funds Management Corporation as a portfolio manager, fixed interest.

Baume has worked as a consultant for organisations such as Boomer Home Loans, iLex, the corporate and institutional loan platform, and Darling Macro, an absolute returns manager.

He began his career at Deutsche Bank in 2000, ending up as head of cross-market structuring when after eight years, he joined Westpac as an executive director of credit portfolio trading.

After six years with the lender, he returned to Deutsche Bank as director of the bank's structured finance business.

Commenting on the appointment, Mason Stevens chief executive Tim Yule called Baume one of Australia's most experienced fixed-income professionals.

"Andrew has a range of professional interests and is a prolific publisher of economics and financial markets content," he said.

"This appointment allows Mason Stevens to continue to deliver strength in fixed income with a true client focus near term. This may evolve into a full-time role in due course."

Yule added that the firm was making a series of appointments in its asset management team across equities, portfolio analytics, and fixed income.

"Joining Mason Stevens has reminded me that helping investors achieve their goals is a privilege, not just a job. A career in markets spanning five decades is only sustainable when the challenges remain fresh, and the solutions draw on those years of experience," Baume said.

After more than a decade of regulator and government interference in markets, the re-emergence of inflation and normalised monetary conditions are not going to be easy to navigate. I am looking forward to working with our clients to develop portfolios that are resilient and responsive to a truly unprecedented investment environment."