People moves: Investment Association, Foster Denovo, and Moonfare

The Investment Association (IA) has appointed John Owen as its chief executive.

Owen succeeds Chris Cummings, bringing expertise in financial services, regulation, and public policy. He spent 20 years in the UK civil service, holding a series of senior roles across HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office and the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office. From 2022 to 2025, he served as director of financial services at HM Treasury. Earlier roles included deputy director for financial services at HM Treasury, chief of staff to the Cabinet Secretary, and senior positions spanning housing, strategic policy projects, and the centre of government. More recently, Owen has been working as a partner in EY’s Financial Services Risk Consulting practice, advising firms on regulatory strategy and risk.

Foster Denovo has named Chris Thomas as director of investments.

Thomas was previously head of investments and will now oversee £2.6bn of assets under management across the firm’s Dynamic Portfolios range and the Sequel funds, Foster Denovo’s in-house multi-asset investment solutions and workplace pension ranges. He has more than 30 years of experience and has worked at Foster Denovo since October 2024. His appointment comes as Foster Denovo continues to grow its financial planning capabilities, with total assets under advice across the business last year reaching £3.7bn.

Private markets investment platform and manager Moonfare has appointed Chris Maule as head of UK.

Maule will be responsible for accelerating Moonfare's growth in the UK market among private investors and family offices. He brings more than 15 years’ experience across private markets, alternatives and investor distribution to the role. In his new role, Chris will be responsible for shaping and executing Moonfare’s UK strategy, cultivating key investor relationships and continuing to develop and grow the UK investor relations team. Prior to joining Moonfare, Chris spent six years leading Connection Capital’s private client and family office distribution strategy.

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