Chris Astle has returned to Sesame as national recruitment manager after five years at Primis where he was head of recruitment.

In the new role he will be overseeing all recruitment and reporting to Sesame director Toni Smith.

He has more than 20 years experience in financial services.

Gina Hurn has been appointed as recruitment support consultant, also joining from Primis where she has been a broker relationships manager for the past four years.

As well as growing the network, the pair will help member firms with their own recruitment of new talent.

Toni Smith says: “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.

Astle says: “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.”

Toni Smith left Primis last year to lead Sesame‘s adviser network.