The Malta-headquartered provider of financial services to the alternative investments sector has expanded its footprint to London.

Custom House Fund Services has opened an office in London and appointed RBC's Richard Hale as director of business development, UK.

Based in London, Hale will take on the newly-created role to enhance business in the UK and Europe. He joins from Royal Bank of Canada, where he served as head of business development for the RBCIS Global Fund Platform. He has also previously worked at Citibank, HSBC and JP Morgan.

“With over 20 years of experience in the funds industry, we are pleased to have Richard join us as we continue our growth as an independent provider of fund administration services. Richard brings a strong commitment to the industry and is a welcome addition to our service-focused management team,” said Custom House's chief executive, Mark Hedderman.

Custom House Fund Services has over $20 billion in assets under administration and operates from 14 locations worldwide.