Nikko Asset Management has hired a head of international product development from UK wealth manager Coutts.

Nikko Asset Management has hired a head of international product development, covering every region except Japan, coming on the heels of the firm’s recent foray into India through a joint venture.

Geoffrey Post joins from UK wealth manager Coutts, where he also headed product development. Before this, Post was responsible for the international mutual fund range at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. He has also held audit roles at SG Warburg and Price Waterhouse, specialising in the asset management sector.

Post will work closely with Nikko AM’s investment, sales and product development teams in Asia ex-Japan, Europe and the US, to help build the international mutual fund range. He is based in London and reports to Nikko AM Europe president, Charlie Metcalfe.

“Delivering international products to international investors will be a major new initiative for Nikko AM in 2012.Nikko AM has developed a skill in creating and managing products that address Japanese investors’ search for yield. These types of products are expected to become more attractive across broader markets given the current investment climate and we shall continue to look at opportunities to expand our product range in line with investor demand,” Metcalfe said in a statement.

The hire follows the news of a joint venture agreement between Nikko Asset Management and India-based Ambit Holdings. The deal will add offices in Mumbai and Mauritius to Nikko AM’s global footprint, bringing  the group to a total of 20 offices across eleven countries including Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, Mauritius, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US.

Nikko AM, the largest regional asset manager in Asia, has been in aggressive acquisition mode over the last 12 months. It acquired Tyndall Investments in Australia and New Zealand, as well as DBS Asset Management last year, from DBS Bank. The transactions have boosted the group’s assets under management to more than $157 billion.

The group’s London-based marketing team was also recently bolstered earlier this month with the appointment of Steven Balcombe, from Henderson Global Investors.