London-based structured product specialist Blue Sky Asset Management has appointed James Chu as managing director and chief investment officer.

Before joining BSAM, he spent four years at American Express Bank as director head of product and business development, investment and financial products, focusing on the high net worth requirements of customers within the private bank globally.

Prior to that, he worked at HSBC Asset Management, where he was an investment director, designing, developing and managing investment funds, including retail and institutional structured products. This included the use of quantitative techniques for wealth management and running tactical asset allocation mandates for institutional clients.

Dr Chu, a co-founder of BSAM in December 2007, has returned from Asia to join former HSBC AM colleagues chief executive Chris Taylor and Mark Dickson, product development and operations director. 

Mr Taylor said: ''James is a co-founder and principal shareholder of BSAM, and his full operational involvement at this point reflects the immediate impact and outstanding growth that we have achieved since our business launch. Part of that success can be attributed to the sea-change in appetite that we are seeing in the UK, where there is a marked move towards structured investments and away from the unchallenged focus upon traditional mutual funds."