Lowes hires ex-Investec senior to develop business

Lowes Financial Management has appointed ex-Investec senior equity derivates structurer Sham Yapa as business development manager.

Lowes said the hire is part of plans to position itself for growth over the next few years.

Yapa has eight years experience of the investment markets principally specialising in derivatives and structured products.

He was one of the team brought in by Investec to launch its structured product operation in 2007.

Yapa will be based in London and will act as Lowes primary contact with the structured product market, with initial responsibility for the development of the group's online services.

He will also bolster the investment management team over the period that the current investment manager, Melvyn Bell phases into semi-retirement.

Yapa said: "I believe there is significant and as yet still unrealised potential in the structured product market and that we will now see it quickly become a mainstream investment option for IFAs and also for consumers."

Lowes first hired Yapa in 2003 on a six month internship, before he left to join Abbey National Financial Markets. until, following the acquisition of Abbey by Santander UK in 2006, he and four other members of the team left to join Investec's start-up structured product operation.