Northern Trust announced today that it has appointed James Wright as head of its Institutional Investor Group (IIG) in the UK, Ireland and Guernsey.

In this newly created position, Wright is responsible for driving the strategic direction and growth of Northern Trust’s business to meet the needs of sophisticated institutional investors and financial institutions across its pension, insurance, fiduciary and corporate client base.

Institutional investors, particularly asset owners, are facing significant change in light of the evolving regulatory landscape and challenging economic conditions leading to a reassessment of existing business models. Wright will position Northern Trust’s institutional business to support existing and prospective clients’ future business needs through an extensive range of asset servicing, capital markets, liquidity and data solutions.

Wright’s appointment is in line with Northern Trust’s continued growth and focus on client solutions and follows closely the appointment of Ian Hamilton as sales manager for Northern Trust’s asset servicing business. Wright joins Northern Trust from J.P. Morgan where he was most recently head of sales and relationship management responsible for developing outsourced asset management relationships.

“We are thrilled to have James join our team to drive our strategy forward and ensure we are ready to help our institutional clients achieve their goals of enhanced efficiency, improved performance and first class governance,” said Penelope Biggs, head of IIG, for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Northern Trust. “We understand the pressures institutional investors are facing – particularly asset owners who manage their assets in house. Our capabilities and approach to managing relationships, coupled with James’ experience in back and middle office solutions, will ensure we are well placed to support our clients’ strategic aspirations and practical business needs.”

Northern Trust is a leading provider to the UK pension fund market, servicing 35 percent of the top 100 UK pension schemes and 40 percent of the local government pension scheme, as well as providing services to six of the top 10 UK pension funds, together representing more than GB£179 billion in assets.

About Northern Trust

Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families and individuals. Founded in Chicago in 1889, Northern Trust has offices in the United States in 19 states and Washington, D.C., and 20 international locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of June 30, 2016, Northern Trust had assets under custody of US$6.4 trillion, and assets under management of US$906 billion. For more than 125 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader for exceptional service, financial expertise, integrity and innovation. Visit northerntrust.com or follow us on Twitter @NorthernTrust

Northern Trust Corporation, Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A., incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Global legal and regulatory information can be found at https://www.northerntrust.com/disclosures.