With a £6 billion market cap and almost $1 trillion in total AuM, the UK-listed wealth and asset manager wields a significant amount of financial muscle. It has announced several top-line changes, with several of them in Asia.

Schroders, a UK-listed wealth and investment management house, has appointed four senior figures, including a head of client group for Asia and country head for Hong Kong.

The firm said Karine Szenberg will be appointed as executive vice chair, whilst Matt Oomen will join Schroders as global head of client group.   

In Asia, Gopi Mirchandani has been named head of client group, Asia and Jason Yu has been recruited for the Hong Kong country head position. These appointments are subject to regulatory approval.   

Gopi Mirchandani has been appointed as the head of the client group for Asia, succeeding Chris Durack, who has been appointed to the newly-created role of chair for Asia until his departure on 31 December. Mirchandani will report to Oomen. In addition, Jason Yu has been appointed country head for Hong Kong.  

Szenberg, who is the current global head of client group, is remaining on the group executive committee in her new slot as executive vice chair. She will focus on accelerating Schroders’ strategy, building its network of joint ventures and associates, and forging new partnerships. 

Oomen, who reports to Richard Oldfield, has worked for three decades in the financial services industry,.He is joining from US-headquartered BNY Investments where he was most recently global head of distribution, responsible for product strategy, marketing and sales across 30 countries.

Prior to the BNY and Mellon merger, Oomen worked in a variety of roles at Mellon Global Investment, with a combined tenure across both firms of 23 years. Before that Oomen was at insurance company, Zurich Financial Services. He will join the group executive committee at Schroders.  

“We are taking deliberate steps to embed our teams even more closely with our clients, to collaborate, innovate, co-create and solve for their future prosperity. We are committed to working in partnership across our industry to remain at the forefront of delivering client outcomes within asset management,” Richard Oldfield, group CEO, Schroders, said. "Karine has led the transformation of our client group by re-focusing the team and doubling down on driving sales excellence, putting all the foundations in place needed for its future success. "Matt will be a fantastic addition to our senior leadership, and we are delighted to have attracted someone of his calibre. His global perspective and decades of client-focused experience will help us build on our privileged position as a trusted partner to clients.” 

“In our Global Investor Insights Survey, there is clear evidence of investors looking to increase their use of actively managed investment strategies to strengthen portfolio resilience and capture specific investment opportunities amid mounting economic uncertainty and market volatility,” he said. 

Mirchandani added: “Schroders is exceptionally well positioned in Asia, where investable wealth is growing at the fastest rate globally. There is also an incredible opportunity driven by the region’s digital transformation which we must harness. I want to thank Chris for his support and congratulate him and Jason on their new roles. I am excited to build on our standing as an active asset management leader in the region.”   

At the end of last year, Schroders oversaw £778.7 billion ($975.3 billion) of assets under management. It is listed on the FTSE100 index in the UK, with a market cap of about £6 billion. One of the oldest UK financial houses, it was established in 1804.