Our People

Nick joined Columbia Threadneedle Investments in September 2019 as CEO, EMEA and a member of the Executive Leadership Team at Ameriprise Financial, Inc. He has over 30 years’ experience in the investment industry across a variety of distribution, product, strategy and general management positions, including a seven year career at Columbia Threadneedle, where he became Global Head of Product.

Michaela is responsible for leading Columbia Threadneedle’s regional Sales and Client Service functions for Wholesale, Institutional and Insurance clients in the EMEA region. She joined Columbia Threadneedle in 2021, following an 18 year career in the asset management industry in Europe.

Neil Babbage is Head of Information Technology, EMEA & Asia. In this role, he has overall responsibility for all IT services supporting the EMEA and Asian businesses, while he is also responsible for all accounting, client reporting and performance technology globally.

Darrel is responsible for day-to-day management of the Assurance and Governance team, design and implementation of the Compliance Programme, co-ordinating and preparing the business for global regulatory risk assessments and examinations, as well as the development and implementation of the firm’s monitoring & reporting programme. He joined the company in 2011.

William was appointed CIO, EMEA in September 2019 in addition to his previous role as Global Head of Equities. He is responsible for the investment teams in EMEA, as well as having overall responsibility for the company’s equity teams globally. He joined the company in 1994.

Julie Griffiths is currently Chief Risk Officer, EMEA & APAC and Global Head of Investment Risk. As Chief Risk Officer she is responsible for all aspects of enterprise and operational risk management and as Global Head of Investment Risk she has responsibility for overseeing the independent investment risk management process for all Columbia Threadneedle’s portfolios. Julie is also chair of Columbia Threadneedle’s EMEA’s Risk and Controls Committee, Counterparty Credit Committee and retail fund Pricing Committees and is a member of Columbia Threadneedle’s EMEA Business Management Committee and chair of the Boards of Threadneedle Luxembourg and Threadneedle Investment Services Limited.

Alison joined Columbia Threadneedle in July 2010. As Head of Corporate Affairs she is responsible for corporate communications, reputation and issues management and community relations. She is a member of the firm’s Talent Advisory Group and Culture and Conduct Advisory Group and is Chair of Columbia Threadneedle Foundation.

Jo joined in 2016 as HR Business Partner supporting the Investments group. In October 2016, she assumed the role of Lead HR Business Partner EMEA, with responsibility for the EMEA HRBP team, HR business partnership specifically to Distribution, Marketing and Investments as well as overall HR leadership support across the EMEA region. Jo has 16 years HR experience working in financial and professional services organisations and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Peter joined the company in 2004 as Head of Management Information. In this role he was responsible for developing and improving financial management information supporting decision making in the business. In 2011 he became Head of Finance with responsibility for financial, accounting, tax and treasury affairs.

Laura is responsible for the strategy and execution of operations across Columbia Threadneedle Investments. She is also the EMEA Regional Head of Global Operations and Investor Services, and sits on a number of Executive Committees as well as being a Director of the UK ACD Board and Chair of the Luxembourg Management Company and a number of other Threadneedle entities. She joined the company in 2004 and worked in a number of operational areas before taking on her current roles.

Joseph Vullo is Head of UK Real Estate at Columbia Threadneedle Investments. He took up this role in October 2020 and is responsible for investment performance and shaping the strategy for the UK Real Estate business.
He joined the company as an Asset Manager in 2000, becoming Head of Asset Management in 2008 and a member of the Property Business Management team in 2010.