Tothill joins the London office from Aria Capital Management, where he was head of strategic partnerships. Before this, he led global partnerships at Henderson Global Investors.

In the newly-created role, Tothill will be responsible for building and managing relationships with key third parties, such as fund platforms, research houses and intermediaries.

“A critical element to our success will be our ability to understand and serve the needs of the intermediaries and the third parties that our clients use,” said Aviva Investors' head of UK wholesale, Jeremy Leadsom.

“James will play a crucial role in ensuring we are delivering on this commitment and we are delighted to welcome him to our team.”

Earlier this month, the asset manager appointed Ed Casal as its new chief executive of global real estate.