Rob Gardner, the former Merrill Lynch banker who shook up the UK’s pensions market with the startup consultancy Redington, is leaving full-time work at the firm to join wealth manager St James’s Place.

Gardner is to join the £91bn wealth management firm as director of investment management on January 7, the firms said in statements on August 1. David Lamb, who is managing director of investments at St James’s Place, will retire in early 2019.