Harrison joins from AllenbridgeEpic where he acted as a senior adviser to local government pension schemes.
A spokesperson at Henderson said Harrison was appointed to address the “skewed” nature of the current investment portfolio, which at present is approximately “70/30” in favour of the retail side of the business.
Bill McQuaker and Paul O’Connor will remain co-heads of the 12-strong team of multi-asset managers, with Harrison brought on board for his over 30 years’ experience in institutional investments.
McQuaker said: “John’s blend of investment and client management skills is a great addition to the team. Most recently John’s experience has been in managing clients relationships in the multi-asset and advisory market. In addition to the wealth of investment experience he has built during his career, this will be of enormous benefit to us.”
It is hoped that Harrison will grow the multi-asset team’s current £6.3bn balance sheet by moving away from inherited retail products and making headway in the institutional market.
The appointment comes as Henderson Global Investors argues the economic and market cycle is entering “one of its more dangerous phases”.
