One of the largest financial institutions in Asia has hired a head of financial products and solutions in its wealth management arm.

Nomura, the Japan-headquartered investment bank, has appointed Lee Chee Pin as head of financial products and solutions for wealth management in the Asia ex-Japan region, another move by the firm in building out its wealth arm.

Lee will be based in Singapore and report to Nobuhiro Sano, head of wealth management, Asia ex-Japan. In this newly created role, Lee will be responsible for overseeing all trading and dealing functions across wealth management in the region. 

Lee will also drive closer collaboration with Nomura’s global markets business, the firm said in a statement yesterday.

“We want to deliver the same sophisticated advice and products to our wealth management clients that are normally reserved for institutional clients,” said Amanda Chen, deputy head of wealth management, Asia ex-Japan. “Chee Pin is one of the most respected veterans of our business and brings extensive experience and a deep understanding of our investment capabilities. His hire demonstrates Nomura’s strategic commitment to wealth management in the region.”

Previously, Lee worked at Island Asset Management, a boutique fund management company investing in Asian small-cap companies, where he was chief executive. He started his career as a foreign exchange trader at Chemical Bank before joining Bank of America, where his last role was as head of global foreign exchange for Asia. He has also previously worked at Guoco Management as head of group treasury and Millennium Capital Management as a forex portfolio manager.

As previously reported, Nomura in August hired Harry Ng from Julius Baer to head its trust business and wealth planning in Asia, excluding Japan. Ng, based in Singapore, assumed the new role of head of Nomura Trust Company and head of wealth planning strategy and solutions, Asia excluding Japan. He is responsible for managing Nomura Trust Company’s client relationships and estate administration activities, as well as leading the trustee services business.

Elsewhere, Nomura earlier this year named a raft of directors; for more on that story, see here.

Chen, a former senior banker for Morgan Stanley, was named to her current role in January this year and her move is widely seen in the local market as a statement of intent by Nomura of its ambition to drive wealth management in Southeast Asia and elsewhere.