State Street Global Advisors, the US fund manager, has recruited a new marketing chief to lead its sales effort to defined-contribution pension plans in the UK, where government reforms will soon oblige all companies to set up pensions for their staff.

Nigel Aston, formerly in charge of business development at pensions data company DCisions, is to take over as State Street's DC salesperson in the UK - a newly-created position. He will be in charge of selling the manager's investment services to DC pension schemes, a market that most fund managers have not yet targeted in a serious fashion.