Federated Hermes has appointed Kate Hillyar as UK Business Development Director. Hillyar will report to Clive Selman, Head of UK Distribution, who heads up a 14-strong team focused on wholesale, institutional and consultant relations distribution channels. Based in London, Hillyar will be focused on the UK institutional channel, helping drive new business and raise third party assets across the firm’s full range of institutional investment capabilities. This newly-created role demonstrates Federated Hermes’ commitment to offering responsible investment solutions in line with the growing interests of this client base, as driving forces such as the global pandemic and more stringent regulation across Europe have led to institutional investors reassessing how they allocate their capital.
Hillyar joins the firm from Aberdeen Standard Investments where she was transferred from the Australian office in 2019 to help drive the UK institutional sales business. Her knowledge of ESG and SRI, public and private market strategies in Australia, coupled with the successful work she has done in the UK market, shows strong alignment to the core values of Federated Hermes. Hillyar also has experience working with institutional clients, insurance and consultant firms as well as expertise in launching new strategies. She joined Standard Life Investments in 2016 as an Institutional Business Development Director in Sydney and was responsible for Australia and New Zealand institutional sales.
Prior to her career at Aberdeen Standard Investments, Hillyar held roles at a number of Australian asset management and owner firms, including Macquarie Group, Credit Suisse, Nab Asset Management and NGS Super, specialising in institutional sales.
Harriet Steel, Head of Business Development, at the international business of Federated Hermes, says: “The UK has always been an important market to us given our beginnings as a pension fund manager for BT and the Post Office. Our footprint in the region has accelerated over the past decade and we have expanded our sales team in line with increasing client demand. As we continue on this trajectory of growth, Kate’s wealth of expertise and knowledge of the institutional distribution channel will further strengthen what is an already excellent team.”
