The international arm of US investment company Janus Capital has expanded in the Netherlands, opening a new office and appointing Sander Van Der Ent (pictured) as head of the Netherlands business.

Van Der Ent will be responsible for developing business among pension funds, insurance companies, banks and private banks.

He will be based in the company's new office in The Hague, servicing existing and new clients locally to build long-term relationships in the Dutch market.

The Netherlands has been attracting interest from international asset managers due to the allure of substantial mandates from its large pension funds.

US group Pioneer Investments recently appointed Michel van Mazijk as head of institutional business for the Netherlands and Nordics, while German asset manager Aquila Capital recruited Oldrik Verloop to lead business development in Benelux.

According to Augustus Cheh, president of Janus Capital International, the expansion and appointment "fulfils one of our strategic initiatives for the business, to add depth to our sales effort in the UK and Continental Europe."

Van Der Ent has 15 years of sales, management and marketing experience within the financial industry.

Prior to joining Janus he was managing director at Highbury Finance, AXA Insurance and business development at AXA Investment Managers.

He will report to Howard Nowell, head of sales, EMEA.

Janus Capital Group manages $148bn in assets for shareholders, clients and institutions. Based in Denver, it has offices in London, Milan, Munich, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Melbourne, Paris and The Hague.