Evelyn Partners has announced a leadership reshuffle ahead of its planned acquisition by NatWest, with chief executive Paul Geddes and chief financial officer Alex Gersh set to step down once the deal completes.
The acquisition, which was announced in February and remains subject to regulatory approval, is expected to complete this summer.
Under the new structure, Chris Kenny, currently chief investment management officer, will become chief executive of Evelyn Partners, reporting to Emma Crystal, chief executive of NatWest’s private banking and wealth management division.
Din Mustaffa, currently deputy CFO, will succeed Gersh as chief financial officer.
“As we work towards completion of this major transaction, plans are well underway to bring our organisation together with NatWest PBWM to create the UK’s leading private banking and wealth management business,” Geddes said.
He congratulated Kenny and Mustaffa on their appointments, adding that Kenny’s “extensive industry experience, long tenure at the firm and client-focus make him the right leader for the business as it enters the next phase of integration and growth”.
Reflecting on his tenure, Geddes said: “It has been an absolute privilege to lead Evelyn Partners over the past three years, and I know I am leaving the business in excellent hands.”
Kenny, who has spent nearly 29 years with Evelyn Partners and its predecessor business Smith & Williamson, said he was “incredibly proud” to take on the role.
“Becoming part of NatWest gives us the opportunity to build something truly distinctive in the UK market, bringing together Evelyn Partners’ strengths in investment management and financial planning with NatWest’s scale, heritage, and private banking capabilities,” he said.
Evelyn Partners chair Chris Grigg paid tribute to Geddes and Gersh, thanking them for their “outstanding service” and their role in delivering what he described as a landmark transaction for the UK wealth management sector.
Grigg said Geddes had overseen a period of significant transformation, including the sale of the firm’s professional services, fund solutions and employee benefits consultancy businesses, leaving Evelyn Partners focused entirely on wealth management and positioned for its next phase of growth within NatWest.