Frankfurt-based asset manager DWS Group, which previously operated as part of Deutsche Bank, makes senior hire.

DWS has appointed Dr Markus Kobler as chief financial officer and member of its executive board, replacing Claire Peel who decided to step down earlier this year.

The appointment will take effect by 1 November, at the latest, and Peel will leave the company on 30 September, the firm said in a statement. As head of the CFO division, Kobler will be responsible for finance, tax, capital planning and management, risk management and investor relations, the firm continued. He has been CFO and a member of the executive committee of Allianz Global Investors since 2013 and has served as head of Allianz Global Investors in the UK since 2020, the firm said. Prior to joining Allianz Global Investors, Kobler was a managing director at Swiss Bank Julius Baer, based in Zurich and Singapore.

The firm acknowledged Kobler's calibre and standing: “His experience as CFO of one of the leading asset management companies positions him ideally to make an outstanding contribution at DWS,” Karl von Rohr, chairman of the supervisory board of DWS, said.

“He is a highly accomplished finance professional and as a senior leader will play a key role in DWS’s future strategic growth,” James von Moltke, CFO and management board member of Deutsche Bank added. 

DWS, which has €859 billion ($940 billion) of assets under management, operates in Germany, Europe, the Americas and Asia.