Barings, one of the world’s leading investment managers, announced today that it has named industry veterans Ilena Coyle and Graham Seagraves as Co-Leaders of Distribution for North America, effective immediately. Coyle, who will assume an expanded role as Head of North American Insurance and Intermediary, and Seagraves, who will serve as Head of North American Institutional and Consultant Relations, will together oversee the firm’s regional strategy to expand Barings’ strategic relationships with existing and prospective clients, reporting to Global Head of Distribution Neil Godfrey.
“We are thrilled to welcome Graham to Barings and to congratulate Ilena on her promotion as we continue to deepen our partnerships with institutional, insurance, and intermediary clients and work closely with investment teams to support the firm’s long-term growth objectives,” said Godfrey. “Ilena’s insurance expertise, as well as her long tenure at Barings, will complement the wealth of institutional distribution experience that Graham brings to the firm.”
Seagraves joins Barings from Russell Investment Group, where he held senior distribution roles for more than 18 years, most recently serving as Managing Director and Head of Client Solutions for their Americas Institutional business. His extensive experience in institutional client relationship management also includes previous roles at OFI Institutional Asset Management and Global Distribution Strategies.
“Barings has a strong track record of delivering tailored investment solutions to clients and I am excited to partner with Neil and Ilena to shape and execute against our North American distribution strategy to grow the platform by deepening relationships with clients and driving growth in third-party assets under management,” said Seagraves.
Coyle has worked in the industry for more than 15 years, including at MetLife Investment Management, where she was a member of the Institutional Client Group prior to joining Barings six years ago. Her expanded role will build on her deep knowledge of the firm and experience on the distribution team, where she has been responsible for covering Barings’ third-party insurance relationships.
“At Barings, we aim to be long-term, trusted partners and to serve the evolving needs of current and prospective clients by leveraging our broad and deep expertise across asset classes,” said Coyle. “I look forward to leading the team alongside Graham to expand our client base while increasing our multi-asset mandates.”
Coyle and Seagraves will both be based in Barings’ Charlotte headquarters, where they will oversee and strategically expand an existing team of 25 distribution professionals based in key regions across North America.
About Barings
Barings is a $409+ billion* global asset management firm that partners with institutional, insurance, and intermediary clients, and supports leading businesses with flexible financing solutions. The firm, a subsidiary of MassMutual, seeks to deliver excess returns by leveraging its global scale and capabilities across public and private markets in fixed income, real assets and capital solutions.
*Assets under management of June 30, 2024
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