Wealth manager St James’s Place (SJP) has appointed Justin Onuekwusi as its chief investment officer.

He will join from Legal & General Investment Management where he was head of retail investments EMEA and head of retail multi-asset funds.

He will join SJP in October, reporting to director of investments Tom Beal.

He will be responsible for developing SJP’s investment proposition and fund manager selection.

Mr Onuekwusi has over 20 years of experience in the investment management industry including roles at Aviva Investors, Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, and Aon Consulting.

He was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2020 due to his work campaigning for diversity in the asset management industry.

Tom Beal, director of investments at SJP, said: “Justin will lead the development of our investment proposition, asset allocation approach and selection of our fund managers, supported by the wider Investment Committee and our growing in-house investment team.

“He will support the continual evolution of our investment management approach as we pursue our goal to deliver superior investment performance in a safe, responsible and cost-efficient manner, whilst continuing to meet the evolving needs of our Partners and clients.”