Roman Gaiser was named head of portfolio management, high yield for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, said a spokeswoman.
Mr. Gaiser replaces Michael Poole, who resigned to relocate to his family home in the U.S.
Mr. Gaiser will join in the summer, allowing for a transition of responsibilities, added the spokeswoman. He will report to Barrie Whitman, head of high yield, EMEA, and will be based in London. Mr. Gaiser will manage a number of European high-yield portfolios. The firm manages £3.8 billion ($5.1 billion ) in European high-yield strategies.
"He has previously worked with many of the team here and his style of investing in this asset class aligns with our approach," said Mark Burgess, deputy global chief investment officer and chief investment officer, EMEA, in a news release. Mr. Gaiser previously worked for the firm when it was Threadneedle Asset Management. The firm merged with affiliate Columbia Management in 2015.
He rejoined from Pictet Asset Management, where he was head of high yield. When his departure was reported in September, a spokeswoman said the manager was looking to replace him. She could not immediately be reached for comment by press time.
A source familiar with the situation said Andrew Wilmount is joining Pictet as a senior investment manager, focusing on European high yield within the developed credit markets team. He will be based in Geneva and report to Frederic Salmon, head of credit.
