IndexIQ, a developer of index-based alternative investment solutions, has named Peter M. Gorman senior vice president and senior relationship manager. Gorman will be responsible for driving key account relationships. He joins the company from Hatteras Funds, an alternative investment firm where he served as director and was responsible for overseeing strategic relationships with a broad range of clients including banks, wealth management firms, platform providers, consultants and registered investment advisers. “Peter has built an outstanding record helping alternative asset managers attract new assets and manage client relationships,” says Adam Patti, chief executive officer at IndexIQ. “We view his decision to

Multi-jurisdictional law firm Conyers Dill & Pearman has made a fresh round of hires to its corporate team with the addition of associates Tara Rivers in the Cayman Islands and Claire McConway, Robert Alexander and Victor Richards in Bermuda. The firm has also hired Michael Swain as head of Codan Management in Bermuda and Jacqueline Shannon as manager for Codan International in Dubai. John Collis (pictured), chairman of Conyers and head of corporate, says: “Each of these lawyers possesses the culture, values and expertise that enable us to provide the highest quality responsive, timely and thorough legal advice to our

Asset management group Polar Capital has appointed John Regnier-Wilson, formerly a senior sales manager at Martin Currie and Axa Framlington, to the group’s UK sales team. The appointment comes as Polar Capital looks to expand its UK business.   Regnier-Wilson joins Polar Capital from Martin Currie on 1 February 2010 and will be responsible for developing the distribution of Polar Capital’s fund range in the UK, focusing primarily on wealth managers and stockbrokers. Working closely with Iain Evans, head of UK sales, Regnier-Wilson will primarily be supporting Polar Capital’s Ucits fund range, including the UK Absolute Return Fund, and the

Macquarie Funds Group, the asset management arm of Macquarie Group, has appointed Pratap Dasgupta as a managing director in its fund-linked derivatives business, based in New York. The hiring of Dasgupta follows the recent appointment of Mike Vitelli and together they will lead the expansion of Macquarie’s existing fund-linked derivatives business globally. Prior to joining Macquarie, Vitelli and Dasgupta were senior members of the fund-linked derivatives team at BNP Paribas. Macquarie’s fund-linked derivatives business provides financing to funds of hedge funds and mutual funds as well as the issuance of structured products over funds of hedge funds and mutual funds

Quant Asset Management, investment adviser to the QAM Global Equities Fund and the QAM Asian Equities Fund, has strengthened the board of both funds with the appointment of Peter Bennett as an independent director. From 2000 to 2009 Bennett was a senior member of the management team at Gottex Fund Management where he held several posts including chairman of the research and asset allocation committees, head of Asia, and board director until his retirement in March 2009. From 1978 to 1985 Bennett worked at Chase Manhattan Bank in both London and New York specialising in credit and commodity finance. He

International offshore law firm Harneys has appointed Sarah Dobbyn and Jonathan Law as partners in the firm’s Cayman Islands office and Johann E Henry as a partner in the British Virgin Islands. Dobbyn (pictured) is head of the firm’s litigation and insolvency practice in the Cayman Islands and a member of the firm’s distressed funds group. She specialises in cross border insolvency and restructuring work including fraud, receiverships, asset tracing and corporate recovery. Henry leads the firm’s BVI-based international shipping practice. He regularly acts for some of the world’s leading ship builders, yacht brokers, ship owners and charterers, financial institutions and

Channel Island law firm Carey Olsen has named Tim Corfield as a partner. Corfield (pictured) specialises in banking and finance litigation and corporate disputes, including corporate insolvency and restructuring. The appointment further strengthens the firm’s litigation team in Guernsey which now features five partners who are dedicated to the practice area. Corfield says: “I am really looking forward to working with the other partners of the firm to further develop Carey Olsen’s already dominant market position in commercial litigation.” Corfield qualified as a solicitor in 1999 and joined the banking and finance litigation team at Wragge & Co, later qualifying

Calamos Asset Management has named Nick Calamos president of investments and co-chief investment officer and Jim Boyne president of distribution and operations. Nick Calamos (pictured) previously served as senior executive vice president and also serves as Calamos’ co-chief investment officer. Boyne previously served as senior vice president and chief operating officer for distribution at Calamos Financial Services, and as senior vice president and general counsel for CLMS and its affiliates. "Nick has been instrumental in shaping Calamos’ research and investment process over the last 25 years, generating solid long-term performance for our clients," says chairman, chief executive and co-chief investment

The Association of Investment Companies has appointed Ian Sayers as director general of the association effective from 1 January 2010.   Sayers has been acting director general of the AIC since Daniel Godfrey left the association at the end of July 2009. Carol Ferguson, chairman of the AIC, says: “On behalf of the board, I am delighted that Ian has accepted this position as he has done an outstanding job for the AIC. Ian’s intellectual rigour and specialist knowledge have already been an enormous benefit to the AIC. He has been instrumental in many of the association’s victories, particularly the VAT