Barings, one of the world's leading alternative investment managers, has announced that Brian Maute has joined the firm as Head of U.S. Wealth, a newly created role. The firm, a subsidiary of MassMutual headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, manages more than $400 billion in assets worldwide.

In the position, Maute will lead Barings' U.S. wealth distribution strategy across intermediary channels, including registered investment advisors, broker dealers, private banks, family offices and other wealth management platforms. He will report to Ilena Coyle, Head of North America Insurance and Intermediary Distribution. The creation of a dedicated U.S. Wealth leadership post points to the strategic weight Barings is placing on the intermediary channel.

Maute's initial focus will be on broadening advisor and investor access to Barings' global investment platform, including the firm's capabilities across credit, real assets, capital solutions and emerging markets. He will also work with Barings' investment, product, distribution and marketing teams to enhance solutions and educational resources designed to help wealth managers incorporate alternative investments into client portfolios.

Commenting on the appointment, Ilena Coyle said: "We are pleased to welcome Brian to Barings, where he will leverage his more than two decades of wealth distribution experience to further expand access to Barings' investment capabilities. As demand for alternative investments continues to grow across the wealth channel, Brian's leadership and deep understanding of the intermediary market will help accelerate our efforts to serve advisors and their clients." That demand has become an industry-wide focal point, with major alternative managers building out dedicated wealth distribution capabilities in recent years as advisors and individual investors seek access to strategies traditionally available mainly to institutional buyers.

Prior to joining Barings, Maute spent more than 15 years at DWS Group, most recently serving as Head of U.S. Wealth and Chief Executive Officer of DWS Distributors, Inc. He previously built and led the firm's U.S. Wealth Alternative Investments Division, helping drive the growth of alternative investment solutions across intermediary channels — experience that maps directly onto his mandate at Barings. Earlier in his career, he held senior distribution leadership roles at Invesco and Van Kampen Investments.

Commenting on his move, Maute said: "Barings' differentiated investment solutions and focus on building long-term client partnerships position the firm well for continued growth in the U.S. wealth channel. I look forward to working closely with colleagues across the business to help bring Barings' capabilities to a broader range of wealth management platforms, advisors and investors."