MFS names local head

After 11 years Marian Poirier will step down as country head of MFS Investment Management and be replaced by Josh Barton.

Also, a long-serving MFS executive, Barton leads the asset manager's institutional sales efforts in Australia and New Zealand.

Before joining the firm eleven years ago, he worked at BlackRock for the same time, holding several roles, including director and senior account manager in the global client group.

Meantime, Poirier will retire after 30 years in the industry and will depart MFS next April.

MFS global head of distribution Carol Geremia thanked Poirier for her contribution.

"As part of MFS' thoughtful and transparent approach to long-term succession planning, Marian has been working closely with Josh on the transition and will continue to do so until Q1 2024," she said.

"We feel it is important to provide a lengthy transition period as it ensures both a smooth transition of responsibilities and an uninterrupted continuity of services to our clients."

Poirier said the firm is well-placed for its next phase.

"Josh has played a key role in solidifying our presence across the region and helping to foster our local culture," she added.

"He is more than ready to lead the team in the years' ahead. Playing the long game at MFS extends beyond how we invest and how we manage the business, but importantly, it also has to do with how we manage our people, and this transition is a further example of this."

Barton underlined his commitment to being "a strong leader for the team" and said he woud continue to serve MFS clients with the best-in-class investment solutions.

MFS has $896.2 billion in global assets under management as of 30 June 2023, with $30 billion n Australia and New Zealand.