Pictet Asset Management, the institutional asset management business of the Swiss private bank Pictet & Cie, has boosted its emerging markets equities team with the appointment of Avo Ora as a senior investment manager responsible for the management of Asia ex-Japan regional portfolios.

Ora was previously at Putnam Investments in Boston, where he was a senior vice president with responsibility for Asia-Pacific (ex-Japan) strategies.

“Avo’s appointment represents a significant reinforcement of our emerging markets expertise to this crucial region,” said Richard Heelis, chief investment officer of equities at PAM.

In other recent news, PAM expanded its fixed income team with the appointment of Roman Gaiser as head of high yield and Andres Sanchez Balcazar as co-head of the global and regional bond team, based in Geneva.

Pictet has £5 billion (around $8.13 billion) of assets under management invested in emerging market equities, as at 28 February 2011.