Ian Aylward joins AJ Bell in boost for Investments team

Ian Aylward has joined AJ Bell as the new head of investment partnerships, bolstering its award-winning Investments team.

Ian's role will see him focus on AJ Bell's bespoke MPS for advised clients. Under the bespoke MPS proposition the AJ Bell Investments team build and manage portfolios tailored to individual specifications for adviser firms and their clients. With this service gaining increasing popularity, Ian's role will enable him to take a dedicated focus on portfolios within this growing area of AJ Bell's investment offering.

AJ Bell's Investments proposition is continuing to see rapid growth, with assets under management up 45% over the year to 30 September 2024, reaching £6.8 billion.

Prior to joining AJ Bell, Ian was head of manager selection and responsible investing at Barclays Private Bank and Wealth Management (PBWM), having also previously held roles at Aviva and Skandia over more than 25 years in the industry.

During his time at Barclays PBWM, where he was responsible for managing a range of multi-asset and single asset solutions, he was voted Citywire Wealth Manager's leading fund selector in the UK in both 2021 and 2023.

Ian Aylward, head of investment partnerships at AJ Bell, says:

"I am delighted to be joining AJ Bell and its Investments team at a time of such exciting growth. I look forward to applying my breadth of skills and experience to further build on the already outstanding track record for clients."

Ryan Hughes, AJ Bell Investments managing director, adds:

"Ian has forged a fantastic career in multi-asset fund solutions building an excellent reputation and we are incredibly excited that he's joined the team. With over 25 years' experience he will help us to build on the momentum that saw our assets under management hit £6.8 billion in September as we continue to deliver strong returns at a low cost for customers across our funds and MPS, while also delivering great service."