Maitland, a global advisory and fund administration firm, has appointed Martina Swart to the newly created role of Group Head of Governance Services.

Swart joins from Orbis Investment Advisory, where she was a senior adviser to the business, covering governance matters.

Previously, she held the position as Global Head of Prime Service Legal Advisory at Barclays in New York and prior to that, she held senior legal roles at major global financial institutions, including Citigroup, Citadel Investment Group and Credit Suisse.

Swart’s 15 years of experience in investment banking and fund management, has included management of legal, risk and compliance matters, including broker-dealer and fund regulation, fixed income and equity finance, insolvency law, securities law and prime services.

Commenting on her appointment, Swart said: “I’m delighted to be joining Maitland’s dynamic, fast-growing team. The company has been built on a foundation of excellent client service and corporate governance expertise. I look forward to help the business in achieving its goals as it continues to expand internationally.”

At Maitland, Swart joined the Executive Committee and will be responsible for the day-to-day management of governance services which includes regulatory, compliance and the risk management function.

She will be reporting directly to the CEO, Steve Georgala, and will be based out of the London office.

“Martina joins Maitland at a time of rapid global growth. With new offices opened in Miami and New York this year, as well as the rapid growth of our Alterative Investment Fund Manager services, it is imperative to have someone as experienced as Martina on board,” commented Georgala.

“Martina’s comprehensive knowledge of relevant international laws, regulations, and state-of-the-art risk and control practices, will be crucial in underpinning our next phase of growth. Martina will play a key role in enhancing Maitland’s ability to design and execute strategies to reduce and manage risk for our clients,” he said.