Barnett Waddingham has appointed former St James Place Wealth director Neil Howitt as its new head of SIPP Finance.

BW said it has ambitious growth aspirations for its SIPP business.

Mr Howitt has had a 35-year career in financial services including chief financial officer at Nucleus and 21 years at the St James Palace Wealth Management Group. His time there included senior roles in finance, change management, and administration platform development and oversight.

At Barnett Waddingham his role will encompass a broad range of strategic responsibilities such as business profitability and commercial management, including leading the negotiation of contracts with key suppliers and institutional partners. He will also take up a pivotal role on BW SIPP’s Management Committee.

The news comes soon after the company appointed Mark Smith from Mattioli Woods as a non-executive director.

Simon Foster, BW SIPP chief executive, said: "I am really pleased to welcome Neil to BW SIPP as our new finance director. We are making key investments not only in our technology and service offering, but also in the leadership of the business."

Mr Howitt said: “It’s a great privilege to have been invited to play a part in BW’s future success.”