Mark Skinner departs Henderson in distribution shake-up

Henderson's director of retail global distribution Mark Skinner has left the company as part of a broader restructure of the group's distribution and equity teams.

Skinner (pictured) has departed the company after 10 years which spans his time at both Henderson and New Star. He played a central role in building Henderson's retail brand and presence when he joined the company after its acquisition of New Star in 2009.

Following his departure, former head of European retail Greg Jones takes on the role of head of retail for EMEA. Stewart Cazier takes on a new role as managing director of distribution, overseeing the development of business strategy and strategic initiatives.He will report to global head of distribution Phil Wagstaff, while head of UK retail Simon Hillenbrand will report to Jones under the new reporting lines.

Commenting on the changes, Skinner said: 'Following the acquisitions and integration of New Star's and Gartmore's retail businesses I leave Henderson in excellent shape, under strong leadership and wish it every continued success.' 

Wagstaff added: 'Mark and I have worked closely together both at New Star and at Henderson and throughout that time he has been a key influence in both the success of New Star and the re-launch of Henderson into the retail market. I would like to thank him for leading the retail teams during both acquisitions and positioning Henderson well for the future, he leaves with our very best wishes.'

Explaining the changes to the distribution and equity teams at Henderson, Hillenbrand said: 'The last year has been about pulling everything together and putting in the right structure. We have made a lot of progress in terms of looking at efficiencies and distribution efforts. We have done a lot to improve how we work and built good momentum into that.'