EQ Retirement Solutions (EQRS) has appointed Will Pritchett as chief executive officer (CEO), effective 1 September.

Pritchett brings more than 25 years of experience across financial services, consulting and technology-led transformation. He joins EQRS from Accenture, where he served as managing director and global head of life, pensions and retirement, as well as insurance lead for the UK, Ireland and Africa. He has also held senior leadership roles at Royal London, KPMG UK and Royal & Sun Alliance. Pritchett succeeds Duncan Watson, who led EQRS as CEO for nearly eight years and will join the EQRS Board. Watson will also be a special adviser to the CEO through the end of 2026 to support the transition.

AJ Bell has promoted Charlene Young to its newly created role of head of technical.

Young has worked at AJ Bell for over 12 years and has experience as a chartered financial planner and as a paraplanner. In her new role, she will lead AJ Bell’s technical capability across pensions, investments, tax, financial planning and adviser practice. Commenting on her appointment, Young said: “I’m delighted to be appointed head of technical and excited to lead our talented team of experts. I look forward to working with the team to expand the support we can offer to advisers, as well as trusted guidance to our customers.”

Zedra has appointed Payam Kazemian as head of risk transfer.

Kazemian has worked at Zedra since 2021 as both a client director and professional trustee. In his new role, he will lead the firm’s risk transfer capability to further strengthen its offering. He brings over 20 years of experience in the pension industry, including roles at several investment banks, including Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Barclays and Citi. Zedra said the appointment reflects the changing dynamics of the risk transfer market, with increasing insurer capacity, a broader range of solutions and growing demand from trustees and sponsors for specialist advice and governance support when considering complex de-risking decisions.

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