Emmanuel Deblanc was named chief investment officer for private markets at M&G Investments, according to a news release.
Deblanc replaces William Nicoll, who left M&G in March to join Royal London Asset Management as head of private assets.
Reporting to CEO Joseph Pinto, Deblanc will join on March 14 and be based at the firm's London headquarters.
M&G had £332 billion ($419.2 billion) in assets under management as of June 30.
"I am confident that Emmanuel's combination of extensive investment experience and a track record of delivery will help M&G to realize its ambition of being the go-to asset manager for investors seeking exposure to European assets," Pinto said in the release. "This will be achieved by focusing on high value-add solutions built around client needs, that deliver attractive and sustainable margins."
M&G's £74 billion private markets business is comprised of six areas: private credit, structured credit, impact and private equity, infrastructure, real estate, and ResponsAbility — an impact asset manager it acquired in 2022.
Deblanc was global head of private markets at Allianz Global Investors, and had been with the firm since 2017. He will leave the firm at the end of February, a spokesperson said. Deborah Zurkow, global head of investments, will lead the private markets team in addition to her current responsibilities until a successor is found.
"We would like to thank Emmanuel for his significant role in the further development and growth of our private markets platform and wish him all the best for his future endeavors," the spokesperson said.
