The French insurer Axa has appointed a 37-year-old specialist in structuring new kinds of investment funds as the new chief investment officer of its domestic insurance operations.

Pascal Christory, one of Financial News's 40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Asset Management for 2012, was appointed head of investments for Axa France as of January 1, a spokeswoman for Axa Investment Managers confirmed. He was previously head of multi-asset investments at the fund management division, based in its Paris office.