Pimco's global head of equity trading, who was promoted to the role two years ago as part of the $1.5 trillion manager’s bid to expand in equities, has left two months after the firm said it would shut more equity funds amid a retrenchment from the business.

Melissa Tuttle, who joined Pimco in 2010 from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, was named global head of equity trading in August 2014 among a raft of appointments by the asset manager's then chief investment officer for equities, Virginie Maisonneuve, who was recruited to build an equities business for Pimco in its bid to diversify beyond its traditional fixed income base.