Media

8 December 2009

(London) Aviva Investors continues to build its credit capability and expertise with the appointment of Paarus Shah as Credit Analyst. 

Paarus will report to Tim Barker, Head of Credit Research at Aviva Investors, and will be responsible for providing research on debt security investments - with a sector-specific focus on insurers and non-bank financial companies.  He joins from M&G Investment Managers, where he was Director, Financial Institutions.

Paarus is the fourth hire in Aviva Investors credit team in recent months, as the firm looks to bolster and develop its 20-person strong credit capability under the leadership of Mark Wauton, who joined Aviva Investors in April 2009.  Other key appointments in the team this year include: Simon Blundell as Senior Portfolio Manager and Dinesh Pawar as Head of Flow Trading.

Tim Barker said:  “Paarus brings detailed knowledge of credit markets and proven analytical experience to the team. He will play a key role in providing value-added recommendations to our fund managers on debt security investments.  While Paarus has particular experience in analysing UK, European and US insurance companies, he also has a thorough understanding of the broader financials market, making him a strong and complementary fit to our already significant credit research capabilities.”

Further commenting, Mark Wauton said:   “Growing our credit capability remains a key priority for Aviva Investors. While opportunities in the credit sector are significant, generating outperformance is likely to become more challenging, and we are determined to have a first-class research team that can add significant value to our investment decision making process through robust and fundamental analysis.”

- Ends -

For more information contact:
Aviva Investors:       
Allister Fowler       
Corporate Affairs      
+44 (0)20 7809 8313    
allister.fowler@avivainvestors.com

Notes to Editors

Aviva Investors
Aviva Investors is the global asset management business of Aviva plc. The company delivers investment management solutions, services and client-driven performance to clients worldwide. Aviva Investors operates in 15 countries in Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and the United Kingdom.

Aviva plc
- Aviva is the world’s fifth largest insurance group*, serving 50 million customers across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. 
- Aviva’s principal business activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance, with worldwide total sales of £24.4 billion for the six months to 30 June 2009 and funds under management of £352 billion at 30 June 2009, of which Aviva Investors manages £222 billion.

* Based on gross worldwide premiums for the year ended 31 December 2008
Aviva Investors Global Services Limited
No. 1 Poultry, London EC2R 8EJ
Phone +44 (0)20 7809 6000
Fax +44 (0)20 7489 7940
Web www.avivainvestors.com
Email info@avivainvestors.com Aviva Investors Global Services Limited, registered in England No. 1151805.  Registered Office: No. 1 Poultry, London EC2R 8EJ.  Authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Services Authority and a member of the Investment Management Association.
Contact us at Aviva Investors Global Services Limited, No. 1 Poultry, London EC2R 8EJ. 09/1198.

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