Rathbones Group Plc has appointed Gemma Gooch as head of charities distribution, a new group-wide role.

She will report to Jayne Rogers, Rathbones’ chief distribution officer, and will be based in London.

Gemma will be responsible for leading distribution within the charity sector for Rathbones, with a strong focus on growth and developing new partnerships and relationships. She will work closely with Andy Pitt, head of charities and James Ayre, head of investments, charities.

Prior to joining Rathbones, Gooch was managing director, co-head of social impact at BlackRock and was also co-president of The BlackRock Foundation.

Whilst there, her responsibilities included developing and executing external grant-making programmes.

She also spent several years as head of UK charities and endowments, where she managed strategic charity and endowment client relationships, and led fundraising in the charitable sector on behalf of the business.

She also revitalised the investment range, for charities, with a focus on sustainability. Before BlackRock, Gooch spent ten years at NewSmith Asset Management LLP where she was partner, business development.

She also worked for three years as a business development associate at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers in London and Sydney. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Rathbones' group chief distribution officer, Jayne Rogers, said: “We are pleased to welcome someone of Gemma’s calibre to Rathbones. The charity sector is a key focus for us and Gemma’s appointment, as our dedicated head of charities distribution, will enable us to deliver our exceptional service and investment capabilities to more clients in the sector, and continue to build on Rathbones’ brand in this important space."

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