Astle has taken on the role of national recruitment manager and will oversee all adviser recruitment activity. He will report to Toni Smith, director of Sesame.
He has over 20 years of experience in the industry and most recently worked at Primis for around five years. He started as regional sales director before working his way up to head of recruitment.
This is his second stint at Sesame.
The company has also hired Gina Hurn as recruitment support consultant to assist Chris in new adviser recruitment and reinforce network growth.
She was most recently at Primis for over 20 years, most recently as a broker relationships manager.
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The creation of the team is part of Sesame’s plans to grow its network, with Astle and Hurn also supporting member firms in their own recruitment efforts.
Smith said: “We’re delighted to welcome Chris back to Sesame at such an exciting time for the network. His deep understanding of the adviser market, combined with his track record of supporting firms at every stage of their journey, makes him ideally placed to lead our new recruitment unit.
“This is the first time we’ve established a dedicated function focused solely on growth, and it reflects the scale of our ambition. We want Sesame to be the network of choice for advisers looking to start, run, grow, and ultimately exit their businesses – and Chris will play a key role in making that vision a reality.”
Astle added: “I’m thrilled to be back at Sesame. I’ve kept a close eye on the business since I left, and over the past year it’s been great to see some fantastic people join the team and step into key roles.
“I’ve stayed in touch with many of the brokers I worked with during my previous time here, and what really stands out is how many of them are still part of the Sesame network. That says a lot about the strength of the proposition and the support advisers receive.
“Ultimately, I came back because I can see the ambition and drive within the business. My job now is to make sure more advisers discover what makes this network such a great place to be part of.”
