Conning Expands Europe Investment Team

Conning, Inc., a leading global provider of asset management solutions, services and research to the insurance industry, today announced two senior additions to its European investment team, effective immediately. Simon Hawkins joins Conning as a Senior Portfolio Manager focused on fixed income funds. Christopher Greaves joins as a Senior Portfolio Manager focused on investment grade credit.

Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Greaves will be based out of Conning´s London office reporting to Russell Büsst, European Chief Investment Officer for Conning.

"Simon has proven portfolio management skills and an ability to provide superior service to his clients. This, combined with his technical expertise and ability to incorporate clients´ objectives into his investment decisions, makes him a natural fit in Conning´s business. Chris has spent a large proportion of his professional career as a credit analyst, before putting these skills to work as a portfolio manager. This gives him a unique set of qualifications which will add significant value to Conning´s investment services" said Russell Büsst, European Chief Investment Officer for Conning. "I am very much looking forward to working with them and other members of Conning´s Team in Europe, to achieve Conning´s objective of being the pre-eminent provider of investment solutions to the global insurance industry."

Mr. Hawkins joins Conning from Amundi where he was a Director and Head of the Institutional Investment Team responsible for managing fixed income portfolios for the Company´s insurance client base and contributing to the development and implementation of investment strategies for the company. Over the previous 25 years Mr. Hawkins held various portfolio management positions at a range of institutions including Pavilion Asset Management and NPI Asset Management. Mr. Hawkins is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment. He holds an MA from Queens´ College, Cambridge, where he read Mathematics.

Mr. Greaves was formerly a Senior Investment Manager at Amundi where he led the investment grade credit team in stock selection and portfolio management. As a Chartered Accountant, Mr. Greaves brings discipline and technical knowledge to his investment management approach. Previously he was Head of Investment Grade Credit at Cazenove Capital Management, a Director of Corporate Credit Research for WestLB, and a Senior Credit Analyst at the Royal Bank of Scotland and Swiss Bank.

About Conning

Conning (www.conning.com) is a leading asset manager for the insurance industry, with almost $88 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2011 through its Hartford and Dublin investment centers and Goodwin Capital Advisers. For more than 25 years, Conning has built its asset management business to meet the investment and financial needs of insurers. The Company´s unique combination of asset management, risk and capital management solutions and insurance research helps clients achieve their financial goals through customized business and investment strategies. Founded in 1912, Conning is headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, with additional offices in New York, London, Dublin, Cologne and Hong Kong.