Aviva Investors has appointed Roland Derks as a global high-yield portfolio manager, the firm announced this morning.
Derks will move from Goldman Sachs and join the high-yield team co-headed by Fabrice Pellous, who also joined Aviva earlier this year. During his decade at Goldman Sachs, Derks held various portfolio management roles, specialising in convertible bonds and high-yield credit. Earlier in his career, he worked at Nomura and Deutsche Bank.
His appointment marks the latest step in Aviva’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its fixed income capabilities. To this end, the firm has also created two new roles: Carmen Altenkirch will lead coverage of sovereigns and emerging market corporates, while Martin McCudden will oversee the consumer and technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT) sectors. Both will report to Gita Bal, head of fixed income research and another recent addition to the team.
Pellous said: “The high yield market is one that we believe will present significant opportunities over the coming years, and we believe now is the perfect time for us to bolster our expertise in this space.”