STANDARD Life Investments has extended its international reach with a new office in Stockholm.

SLI has appointed Christopher Andersson as investment director for sales in Sweden, based in Stockholm and reporting to Edinburgh-based co-head of European Business and head of Nordics Asa Norrie. Including Alan Simpson, business development manager for Scandinavia, SLI now has a team of three dedicated to its Nordic business.

It said investor demand for its absolute return strategies was escalating in Sweden and it had an "innovative expansion plan across the Nordics".

Mr Andersson, 36, who has worked in the Nordic investment markets since 2000, was previously sales manager at Lannebo Fonder, a boutique asset management firm with a focus on Swedish equities. Before that, he worked in the distribution and client relationship teams at Intervalor in Stockholm.

The group has also appointed Selcuk Acar, 37, as business development manager for institutional sales in Germany and Austria. Mr Acar, who was senior relationship manager at Axa Investment Managers, will be based in Frankfurt and work with the Germany team of three.

Mr Norrie said the new hires "will help to propel Standard life Investments further into Europe, as part of our commitment to expand our global franchise".