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Morley today announced a number of key roles within its property business designed to strengthen teams and more evenly align senior roles with its most important client groups.

Morley's managing director property Ian Womack, said: "These moves give Morley a stronger and more balanced business and most importantly, a stronger alignment between our fund management teams and their clients.

"The process has also reinforced the depth of existing talent and quality of people within Morley, with the roles being filled internally."

Key appointments, effective from the end of September, include:

UK

• Andrew Appleyard as head of UK specialist property funds - this area includes the Mall, Ashtenne, Apia, Quercus and Igloo Funds. Andrew was previously Fund Manager - Out of Town Retail and Leisure. A replacement for Andrew will be sought over the next few weeks.
• Robert Walton as head of UK institutional property funds, with responsibility for both the Pooled and Segregated Fund teams and fund management of Morley Pooled Pensions Limited (MPPL).
• Philip Nell as head of UK retail property funds. This is a new role, which combines responsibility at the fund manager level for both Norwich Property Trust (NPT) and Norwich Property Investment Fund (NPIF). Combining these two funds under the same manager makes sense in the context of client alignment.
• Neil McLeod will move formally into the role of fund manager - Central London offices, which he has successfully been managing for the past six months.

Europe

• Ben Stirling, head of European property, will now report directly to Ian Womack reflecting the continued growth plans for this business and its maturity into a more stand alone business.

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For more information contact:
Angela Warburton
Corporate Communications
Telephone: 020 7809 8618

Notes to editors:

Morley
Morley is the UK-based asset management business of Aviva plc. Firms within the Morley group of companies manage £168bn (€250bn) from offices around the world as at 30 June 2007.  

Morley manages both institutional and retail funds. It also acts as investment manager for a range of retail investment funds, marketed in the UK under the Norwich Union brand and in Europe under the Morley name. The property team manages in excess of £32bn (€48bn) of UK and European property assets.

Awards

• Equity End User of the Year - Derivatives Week DEAL Awards 2006
• Property Fund Manager of the Year, Pensions Management Awards 2006
• Best Commitment to Raising Standards of Trustee Education, Engaged Investor Awards 2006
• Property Fund Manager of the Year, Property Week Awards 2006
• SRI Provider of the Year, Global Pensions 2006
• Central European Property Awards 2005 - Outstanding Company of the Year & Investor of the Year
• UK Pensions Awards 2005 - Property Manager of the Year
• Property Week Awards 2004 - Best Property Fund Manager

Further information about Morley can be found at http://www.morleyfm.com/