IQ-EQ names Anil Ponnampalam to lead APAC platform

IQ-EQ has appointed Anil Ponnampalam as Managing Director, Fund Platform and Solutions, APAC and Middle East, following the rebrand of Gordian Capital to IQ-EQ across the region.

Ponnampalam will take overall responsibility for the business across private and public markets in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. He will oversee strategy, commercial growth and operational performance, join the group's APAC regional management team, and serve on the boards of fund management entities in APAC and the Middle East.

The appointment comes as IQ-EQ continues to integrate Gordian Capital after acquiring the business in 2025 and rebranding it earlier this year. Fund Platform and Solutions has been a core part of that regional business, with an established presence serving institutional investors across private and public markets.

Ponnampalam is a long-standing executive within the business. Most recently, he was Director, Head of Business and Investments, Private Markets, Fund Platform and Solutions, APAC and Middle East, and had been closely involved in building its private markets offering from the outset.

His remit now expands to the full Fund Platform and Solutions operation across both regions. He will report to Sridhar Nagarajan, Regional CEO for APAC, and work closely with Richard Surrency, Group Chief Commercial Officer.

Ponnampalam brings more than 20 years of investment and management experience across private, public and capital markets. Before joining Gordian Capital, he managed assets for a range of institutional clients at financial institutions and investment firms.

Leadership change

The appointment is also part of a planned leadership transition. Ponnampalam succeeds Mark Voumard, who has stepped down from the Managing Director role and will remain with the business as Senior Advisor, Fund Platform and Solutions, APAC and Middle East.

Voumard will continue to serve on the boards of the fund management entities in the region, supporting continuity during the handover.

The regional business now sits within a larger global investor services group. IQ-EQ employs more than 6,500 people across 25 jurisdictions and has more than USD $950 billion in assets under administration, serving fund managers, pension and sovereign wealth funds, family offices and multinational companies.

That broader scale forms part of the backdrop to the appointment, as IQ-EQ looks to connect the former Gordian platform business more closely with its international network. In practice, this means aligning a specialist regional fund platform operation with a group spanning administration, compliance and reporting services for private markets clients.

John Legrand, Deputy Group CEO at IQ-EQ, said: “Anil's appointment reflects both the strength of our Fund Platform and Solutions business and the depth of talent we have within the team. His specialist market knowledge, long-standing client relationships and collaborative leadership style make him exceptionally well placed to lead the next phase of growth for this important business across APAC and the Middle East.”

Ponnampalam added: “I am grateful for the opportunity to take on the role at such an exciting inflection point in our journey and delighted to be part of the team tasked to drive and contribute to IQ-EQ's next phase of growth. The transition to IQ-EQ presents an extraordinary opportunity to combine our specialist fund platform expertise with the Group's global scale, reach and broader capabilities. I look forward to working alongside colleagues across the region and globally to provide solutions for our clients and service their needs as we continue to build on our strong market position.”

The change puts a long-serving internal executive in charge of a business spanning private and public markets across two fast-moving regions. It also signals IQ-EQ's intention to keep developing the former Gordian Capital platform under its own brand while maintaining continuity through Voumard's ongoing advisory and board roles.