RSA marketer lands Friends Ivory top job

Investment company Friends Ivory & Sime (FIS) has appointed a new marketing director and is calling for its agencies to repitch, following its acquisition of Royal & SunAlliance Investments (RSA Investments).

William Russell has been named as head of marketing for FIS retails funds. He was previously director of retail funds at RSA Investments, Royal & SunAlliance Insurance Group’s UK asset management arm. Russell will report to Nick Criticos, managing director retail funds.

Russell’s first task will be to ask the companies’ existing agencies, CCHM and Red Door, to pitch for the advertising account. A decision will be made by the end of July.

The two marketing teams will be fully merged by the end of July. FIS has five marketers and RSA Investments has ten. It is not known if the merger will result in job losses.

Robin Shuker has been FIS’s head of marketing – working through his consultancy company M2V – since David Norman left the post last year to join Halifax Bank of Scotland. (MW October 11, 2001). Shuker will stay on to assist with the merger.