People
CDC, the UK’s development finance institution (DFI), has appointed Diana Noble as its new Chief Executive Officer. Following the announcement of a new business plan in May, she will lead the company as it places an increased emphasis on the poorest regions of sub Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Noble has had a successful career in international investment and was most recently Executive Vice President at the Clinton Foundation Health Access Initiative. In this role she was responsible for teams supporting the government scale-up of access to HIV/AIDS treatment in 43 countries including much of sub Saharan Africa.
Before working
ECI Partners portfolio company Fourth Hospitality, a leading software supplier to some of the biggest names in the pub, hotel and restaurant markets, has appointed Stuart Layzell as Chief Financial Officer as it gears up to push further into international markets.
Layzell brings to the role more than 20 years’ experience including working in private equity, corporate finance and in senior operational roles. He joins from the Business Growth Fund Plc (BGF), a high-profile GBP2.5bn initiative set up by the UK’s five biggest banks and the British Bankers Association to invest in small and medium-sized firms. 


The appointment follows on
Garg’s background in sales and marketing across both enterprise and consumer businesses has played an essential role in delivering on Foundation Capital’s early-stage venture investment strategy. Current investments span a broad range of industries, from advertising and video infrastructure to online real estate brokerage. Garg currently serves on the board of directors of Aggregate Knowledge, Agni Property, Aspire Human Capital Management, Conviva, TreeHouse and TubeMogul.
"Ashu has proved to be a thought leader and a business pioneer — always looking for what’s next on the horizon that will change the architecture of business as we know it," says Ashmeet Sidana,
Harneys has appointed former XXIV Old Buildings barrister David Herbert as head of the firm’s growing Cayman Islands litigation and insolvency team.
Herbert, whose appointment as partner and Head of Cayman Islands Litigation & Insolvency takes effect 1 November, has been associated with Harneys since 2003 and was seconded to the firm’s Cayman Islands office full-time in 2009.
Herbert is a Chancery barrister who has practised at leading offshore set XXIV Old Buildings since 2003. His primary areas of expertise are insolvency and restructuring, trust advice and litigation, and company and business disputes. Recently Herbert acted for Harneys in the
DC Advisory Partners has appointed Ciara O’Neill as a Managing Director. O’Neill will work with Jonathan Trower in the European Debt Advisory Group and will be the third Managing Director appointment in London this year, following the recruitment of Philipp Gutzwiller and Jeff Blue.
O’Neill has 16 years’ experience in the leveraged finance market. She joins DC from Mizuho Bank where she was Head of the Leveraged Capital Markets Europe team from 2008. Prior to joining Mizuho Bank, O’Neill was a Managing Director in the Leveraged Capital Markets team at RBS where she was responsible for numerous high profile leveraged
Alternative Investment Management has hired Donna Toth as chief operating officer. Toth will be based in New York and will report directly to Jonathan Harris, president of AIM.
Prior to joining the firm, Toth was a founder and managing principal of Park Hill Group, the third-party global placement agent arm of Blackstone. There she was responsible for directing all operational and financial functions of the business.
Previously, Toth was the chief financial officer at Atlantic-Pacific Capital, a global boutique placement agent, responsible for compliance and financial reporting. Earlier, she was the controller and director of financial reporting at Ziff Brothers
Ares Management has appointed Suzanne Murphy as Global Head of Marketing and Investor Relations. In this new position, Murphy will work with the marketing teams for Ares’ Capital Markets, Private Debt, and Private Equity Groups in order to continue to meet Ares’ clients’ growing investment mandates.
“We are delighted that Suzanne will be joining Ares and believe this is an opportune time to provide additional resources to the marketing efforts of each of our Groups,” says Tony Ressler, Senior Partner of Ares. “As we continue to expand our investment opportunities and broaden our geographic reach, Suzanne’s more than 20 years
Hawksford Group has appointed Grant Osborn-Smith (pictured) as Swiss office manager. In his new role, Osborn-Smith, will be dividing his time between Jersey and Zurich and will be responsible for setting up the processes and procedures for a growing Swiss client base.
Osborn-Smith, 47, who was educated at St Michael’s school before studying at Eton College and Bristol University, began his career as a chartered accountant in Jersey. After moving into the trust sector, where he gained more than 12 years of experience, he then moved to Switzerland to set up a Zurich office for Rawlinson and Hunter. After establishing
Northern Trust has appointed Robert P Morgan to lead a new unit, Northern Trust Alternatives Group, formed to develop and manage all alternative investment products, including hedge and private equity funds of funds, for institutional and personal clients.
Northern Trust Alternatives Group brings together portfolio management, product, sales and service teams to build on the private equity and hedge fund solutions that have been part of Northern Trust’s manager-of-managers business. Morgan, who had previously been Director of Private Equity, oversees approximately USD3.5 billion under management or advisory as Managing Director of the new group.
"Alternative investment products have experienced substantial
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Andrew J Bowden has been appointed an Associate Director to lead the National Investment Adviser/Investment Company Examination Program in the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE). He starts on 1 November.
Bowden comes to the SEC from Legg Mason, where he held senior executive positions in its legal/compliance and business units. Bowden will oversee a staff of approximately 450 lawyers, accountants, and examiners responsible for the inspections of U.S.-registered investment advisers and investment companies.
“Drew brings extensive experience in the operation and oversight of investment advisers and investment companies and
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
