Fidelity appoints Standard Life man in direct business drive

Fidelity Worldwide Investment has appointed Mark Till as head of UK direct business as it looks to ramp up its activities in the execution-only market.

Till, who joins from Standard Life, has also worked for Barclays in a career spanning 22 years.

He joins Fidelity in January, reporting to UK managing director Gary Shaughnessy, with a brief of building on its retail investment brand in order to meet the needs of customers preferring to deal with it directly rather than through an adviser.

His appointment comes as Fidelity unveils ambitious plans to develop its direct channel, complementing the expansion of its DC pensions business.

The implementation of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) will significantly increase the opportunities in the execution-only market, Fidelity said.

As head of UK direct business, Till will expand the range of services Fidelity offers its direct investors both in person and through the fidelity.co.uk website, including access to its fund supermarket service Fidelity FundsNetwork.

"Direct investors are an important and growing part of the market for us, particularly given the changes that the retail Distribution Review will bring," said Shaughnessy (pictured). "This fits naturally along our growing business through advisers."