WFAM beefs up senior team with two hires

Wells Fargo Asset Management has named Jonathan Hobbs as head of U.S. portfolio solutions and Kevin Kneafsey as a senior investment strategist with the multi-asset client solutions group. Previously, Hobbs worked at BlackRock where he led the client solutions office in San Francisco while Kneafsey was senior adviser for the Schroders multi-asset team.

PRESS RELEASE

London, UK, June 30, 2017—Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM) announced today, June 30, that in July, Jonathan Hobbs, CFA, FSA, will join WFAM as head of U.S. Portfolio Solutions and Kevin Kneafsey, Ph.D., will join WFAM as a senior investment strategist with the Multi-Asset Client Solutions group. They will both be based in San Francisco and will report to Nicolaas Marais, president of WFAM and head of Multi-Asset Client Solutions.

In this role, Hobbs will design and implement investment solutions for our clients, spanning insurance, defined benefit, defined contribution, and other institutional investors, and will join our research effort on next-generation portfolio and asset allocation strategies. Prior to joining WFAM, he led the client solutions office in San Francisco and was co-head of Liability Driven Investment (LDI) in North America with BlackRock.

Kneafsey will be instrumental in enhancing the team’s research efforts and thought leadership, specifically aimed at risk-based portfolio construction and alternative risk premium strategies, and improving our understanding of the drivers of risk and return. He previously served as a senior advisor for the Schroders multi-asset team, and before joining Schroders, he was the head of research for BlackRock’s multi-asset team.

“The additions of Jonathan Hobbs and Kevin Kneafsey to WFAM’s Multi-Asset Client Solutions team significantly strengthen our ability to bring the very best multi-asset-class solutions and risk management expertise to our clients,” said Marais. “This is another example of how we are actively recruiting all-star-caliber industry talent to enhance our focus on positive investor outcomes and what our clients need.”

Prior to Hobbs’ time with BlackRock as head of the client solutions office in San Francisco and co-head of LDI in North America, he was a financial and actuarial advisor with Ernst & Young LLP. Hobbs earned a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science and finance from Drake University, graduating summa cum laude. He also has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation and qualified as a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA).

Kneafsey had been with Schroders as a senior advisor for the multi-asset team. Before Schroders, he was head of research for BlackRock’s multi-asset team. Previous roles include lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business (Dynamic Asset Management); head of research with the client solutions group at Barclays Global Investor; and, before that, chief strategist for the global markets strategies group. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of New Mexico, graduating summa cum laude, and a doctoral degree in finance, with a minor in econometrics, from the University of Arizona.

About Wells Fargo Asset Management
Wells Fargo Asset Management, a division of Wells Fargo Wealth and Investment Management, strives to help clients achieve their financial goals through top-tier investment options managed by specialized investment teams that are supported by independent risk management and backed by superior, collaborative service. With more than $481 billion in assets under management,* Wells Fargo Asset Management has 29 autonomous investment teams with specialized expertise and proven processes, more than 500 investment professionals, and a global reach with offices and clients around the world.

About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $2.0 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,500 locations; 13,000 ATMs; and the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking and has offices in 42 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 273,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 25 on Fortune’s 2017 rankings of America’s largest corporations. News, insights, and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.