Sir Damon Buffini, who led European private equity firm Permira for a decade and was once one of the most influential figures in the industry, has joined the board of Schroders.

Buffini will take on a non-executive director role at the UK fund manager from February 1, according to a statement. The move will see him return to Schroders, where he started his career at Schroder Ventures in 1988 before it spun out as Permira in 2001.