St James’s Place Names New CEO, Investments

Amanda Cheesley

9 September 2026

Justin Onuekwusi (pictured) has been appointed as CEO, Investments, at UK wealth manager ; he had been covering the role on an interim basis since January. He is replacing Tom Beal, who has been on compassionate leave since the end of last year and has decided to move on from St James’s Place. Onuekwusi will now permanently join St James’s Place’s Group Executive Committee, the firm said in a statement.

In his expanded role, Onuekwusi will lead the Investment Directorate, with responsibility for investment strategy, fund governance, platform innovation and the group's discretionary fund management activities through SJP Investment Management, the firm added.

Onuekwusi joined St James’s Place in October 2023 as chief investment officer, after a decade at Legal & General Investment Management where he served as head of Retail Investments, EMEA and head of Retail Multi-Asset Funds. He brings more than 20 years of experience to the role, with earlier spells at Aviva Investors, Merrill Lynch and Aon.

The move follows a successful period for St James’s Place’s Investment Directorate, after the expansion of its Polaris offering with the launch of the Polaris Multi-Index range in October 2025, the firm continued. The full Polaris range passed £100 billion ($135.5 billion) in assets in March 2026. St James’s Place’s half-year results in July 2026 showed strong investment performance for clients with investment returns representing 16.4 per cent of opening funds under management (FUM) on an annualised basis.

Onuekwusi will focus on bolstering SJP's investment capabilities, further developing the Polaris range and broader fund proposition, enhancing governance and resilience across the platform, and driving innovation to meet the evolving needs of clients and advisors. He will also continue development of SJP Investment Management and support growth of the discretionary fund manager.

“Justin has had an enormous impact since joining St James’s Place in 2023, having quickly established himself as a leader and role model for colleagues,” Mark FitzPatrick, CEO at St James’s Place, said. “This has included playing a significant role in strengthening our investments proposition, a key differentiator for clients that sets St James’s Place apart.”

“I would also like to thank Tom for the contribution he has made to our Investment Directorate over many years and wish him the best for the future,” he added.

“Over the past three years we have built a stronger, broader investment proposition for clients, strengthened our investment capabilities and continued to evolve the SJP fund platform,” Onuekwusi said. “None of this would have been possible without the expertise, dedication and commitment of colleagues across investments and the wider business.”