U.K.-based Axa Investment Managers has strengthened its fund of hedge funds business with a trio of new hires. Rajiv Jaitly has been appointed chief operating officer, Sharmila Soosaipillai senior operational due diligence analyst and Shiblee Alam product specialist for hedge funds.

Jaitly, who reports to Chris Manser, global head of fund of hedge funds, has responsibility for the operational direction of the business in line with AIM’s objective to expand its fund of hedge funds platform. He was previously managing director and chief risk officer of the alternative investments group at Banco Santander.

Soosaipillai, who reports to Jaitly, also joins from Banco Santander in the U.K., where she was head of the operational risk team and a member of the management committee at fund of hedge funds subsidiary Optimal Investment Services.

Alam reports to Aarnout Snouck Hurgronje, head of hedge fund distribution. Previously, he served as a structurer on Lehman Brothers hedge funds derivatives desk since 2004.

AIM is the asset management arm of the Axa insurance and wealth management group, and one of the largest European-based asset managers, with some €548 billion (US$796.4 billion) in assets under management as of the end of last year.