Schroders has appointed Gillian Hepburn who joins the UK Intermediary business as intermediary solutions director.

Ms Hepburn joined from the Embark Group where she was head of strategic partnerships.

Schroders says the newly-created role will draw on her “extensive knowledge and understanding of the adviser community.”

Ms Hepburn is the co-founder of DFM consultancy DISCUS.  

The firm says this is the first of several new hires which will be announced for Schroders’ UK Intermediary business under the newly-expanded leadership of Philip Middleton, who became Schroders’ head of UK Intermediary Business in October.

Mr Middleton said: “Investment solutions are increasingly important for the adviser community and the creation and delivery of these is a key objective for our business.

“The appointment of Gillian, with over 30 years’ experience of financial services and a wealth of knowledge in financial advice, is an exciting development for Schroders.

“Working with our highly-experienced investment solutions teams, Gillian will enable us to continue to support our clients to go above and beyond their expectations, ensuring that we keep delivering a fantastic service in an ever-evolving industry.”

Ms Hepburn said: “Financial advisers are continuing to increase their usage of discretionary managed solutions to support the delivery of their centralised investment proposition and require a variety of options for this.

“Schroders offer a range of investment propositions in order to ensure appropriate client outcomes and I am delighted to be joining the business at an exciting stage in the ongoing development of these.”

Schroders’ investment solutions works as a specialist partner with advisers, enabling them to delegate investment responsibility, which it says frees up time to “focus on their clients and deliver value through Financial Planning.”