IFA consolidator Radiant Financial Group has appointed former HSBC discretionary arm head Minesh Gajjar as its chief investment officer as it prepares to acquire more adviser businesses.

Mr Gajjar was responsible for the global discretionary portfolio solutions at HSBC for the last three years.

He previously held roles as a director in fund research and investment strategy at Coutts & Co, and senior investment manager at Nedgroup Investments. He is CFA qualified.

Radiant was established in November, by former Old Mutual vice-chairman and Skandia CEO Peter Mann and insurance industry heavyweight Simon Cogman-Hellier, with the intention of growing through the acquisition of financial advisory businesses.

It has made several hires in recent weeks to prepare the business for the execution of its growth strategy, including hiring a head of Financial Planning & Analysis. 

Simon Cogman-Hellier, CEO of Radiant, said: “Not only is Minesh an extremely experienced and knowledgeable individual, he is also innovative and forward-thinking. I am sure he will bring a great deal of value to Radiant as he oversees our investment strategies and ongoing management.

"His appointment is the latest in a series of exciting hires, and we now have a strong team in place with a clear vision. Together, we look forward to executing our growth strategy over the coming years.”

The firm was established with the backing of Apiary Capital as well as investment from the management team.

Mr Cogman-Hellier spoke exclusively to Financial Planning Today in February about the firm’s acquisition pipeline, doing business during lockdown and how his psychology background has influenced his career.