AMP Henderson's New Zealand equities team is back to full strength after the sudden loss of its two key players last year.

Former Merrill Lynch Singapore director, John Mellor, has been appointed as a senior equity portfolio manager/analyst.

He has extensive experience in global equity research and a successful track record in selecting New Zealand and Australian stocks for portfolios.

A New Zealander by birth, Mellor spent 13 years with Merrill Lynch as an investment manager both in London and Singapore with responsibilities for research and portfolio management in the Pacific Rim.

His appointment comes after Stephen Walker defected from the company and set up his own funds management firm. Soon after leaving his number two at AMP, Craig Brown, joined him and his new company announced it had a mandate to manage money for Tower.

The new line-up at AMP Henderson is John Mellor, Natvar Vallabh (senior equity portfolio manager/analyst), Nigel Croke (equity portfolio manager/analyst) and Stan Wilson (equity dealer). Together the team manage New Zealand's equity portfolio totalling $1.1 billion.

–Philip Macalister