No, not that Pope: Chris Pope, former head of U.S. inst. sales at SSgA. Former State Street Global Advisors wholesaler Christopher Pope has been made president of Boston Private Value Investors (BPVI) just seven months after joining the firm as a managing director. He replaces Sherwood Small, who will stay on as CEO and chairman of the firm.

Pope, a 30-year veteran of financial-service sales, will continue the marketing and product-development work he was hired to do in hopes, says a PBVI press release, of "positioning the company for growth and gaining additional exposure in the institutional markets."

Before joining BPVI Pope was head of U.S. institutional sales and service and consultant relations at State Street.

On track

Small says Pope has already put PBVI on track "to grow our asset base. We can now leverage our strong track record in value investing more broadly in the institutional marketplace."

Small has been with BPVI - then known as E.R. Taylor Investments - since 1992. He was Taylor Investments' principal shareholder when it merged with Boston Private Financial in 2001.

The idea of having an experienced salesman as Small's right hand also pleases Jay Cromarty, Eastern regional head of Boston Private Financial, PBVI's corporate parent. "With Chris's fine work in the past six months, the company is poised for even greater growth," he says. "We are very pleased that Chris has been named president."

Meanwhile Pope says his move into the president's office coincides with the end of a period of blocking and tackling that will yield strong results in coming months. "I have been exceedingly impressed with the great caliber of people and the base which has been established. We have been working on building out some new products and have been focused on opportunities in the institutional marketplace," he says. "I'm looking forward to a strong second half."

BPVI manages U.S. equity and balanced portfolios for private individuals and families, foundations, endowments and corporate and public-employee retirement funds. The Concord, N.H.-based firm had $904 million in assets under management on 31 March 2006.

In addition to BPVI, Boston Private Financial's affiliates are Boston Private Bank & Trust Company, Westfield Capital Management Company, RINET Company, Anchor Holdings, Borel Private Bank & Trust Company, Sand Hill Advisors, Bingham, Osborn & Scarborough, First Private Bank & Trust of California, Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co. , KLS Professional Advisors, Coldstream Capital Management and Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust Company. -FWR

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