Willis Towers Watson said Monday that Luba Nikulina will become head of research next month, overseeing teams of analysts evaluating asset managers for possible recommendation to the advisory firm’s clients.
Nikulina is being promoted to the newly created position after five years as head of manager research at Willis Towers Watson, according to the firm’s statement. She will take on her new responsibilities beginning July 1 and continue reporting to chief investment officer Craig Baker.
The CIO said in the statement that Nikulina has been particularly “instrumental” in engaging with asset managers about culture, diversity, and sustainable investment. She will continue to strengthen this work in her expanded role overseeing operational due diligence as well as research on managers and assets, the announcement said.
Under the leadership reshuffling, Chris Redmond, the firm’s global head of credit and diversifying strategies, will step into her current role. Nikulina will work closely with Redmond, as well as Josh Hall, the head of operational due diligence, and asset research head David Hoile.
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“Luba’s promotion will have her overseeing and executing seamless interactions between the three research streams,” Baker said in the statement. “She has demonstrated an active commitment to developing the manager research team and is now in a position to enhance our entire research offering in this new role.”
Willis Towers Watson has more than $2.6 trillion of asset under advisory and more than $120 billion under management globally.
