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Summary Of Asia-Pacific Executive Moves In Wealth Management - September 2013

Vanessa Doctor

14 October 2013

Barclays appointed former senior US government advisor Bob Hoyt as the UK-listed bank’s group general counsel. Hoyt will succeed Mark Harding, whose intention to retire was announced in February. Hoyt takes up his new role in mid-October and will become a member of the Barclays executive committee. He reports directly to group chief executive Antony Jenkins.
 
Alvarez & Marsal, the global professional services firm that specialises in business advisory services, bolstered its Hong Kong and China operations with the appointment of Keith Williamson as forensic and dispute services head. Williamson, managing director, relocated to Hong Kong from London for the role. 
 
UBS Global Asset Management appointed senior exchange traded fund industry figure Sammy Yip to its ETF business in a newly created role. The exact nature as Yip's new post or where he is based geographically remains unclear and could not be confirmed as of this writing. This publication contacted UBS but the Swiss bank declined comment.
 
ANZ, one of Australia's Big Four banks, named Kerri Thompson to the newly-created position of managing director for bancassurance and customer experience at ANZ Wealth, effective 2 December 2013. Thompson was previously the managing director for retail at ANZ New Zealand. She will report to Joyce Phillips, ANZ Global Wealth CEO. 
 
UK-headquartered Baring Asset Management bulked up its Asian equities business with the hire of Lara Luo as head of Hong Kong China equities. Luo replaced Agnes Deng, who has left the firm. She now reports to Wilfred Sit, chief investment officer for Asia.
 
Morgan Stanley, the U.S. banking giant, bolstered its Asian macro-research team with hire of Geoff Kendrick and Kewei Yang as executive directors. Kendrick serves as head of the Asian forex and local rates strategy, while Yang is head of the Asia-Pacific interest rate strategy. Both positions are based in Hong Kong. Kendrick reports to Viktor Hjort, head of Asia fixed income, while Yang reports to Kendrick. 
 
U.S.-based investment manager Loomis, Sayles & Company appointed Peter Marber as head of its emerging markets investments arm. Marber joined the firm from HSBC Global Asset Management. He now reports to Jae Park, chief investment officer. 
 
Dion Global Solutions appointed Rudi Pecker as managing director for Australia and New Zealand. Pecker has been part of the firm's executive managing team since it started and has managed Dion's operations in the U.S. and India. He also held senior roles across Australia, Asia, Europe and America.
 
Australian boutique investment manager Bentham Asset Management created a new portfolio manager role and named Kate Harris, former executive director for credit and alternative sales at Goldman Sachs, to take the lead. 
 
JP Morgan, the U.S. bank, named Doug Howland as the new head of equities distribution in Japan. Howland has been with the company since 2007. Howland was previously the head of capital markets. His old role will be broken down, where Yoshihiro Katsumura will assume the lead for equity capital markets, Masaki Inoue for investment grade debt and Naohisa Ando for capital market advisory. 
 
Australia and New Zealand Bank made series of senior executive changes, including the naming of Alexis George as managing director of insurance. George as the regional chief operating officer in Hong Kong at ING Asia-Pacific. Neil Younger, who joined ANZ in 2011 as head of practice based financial planning, was named general manager for advice and open market channels. As a result, Paul Barrett, managing director for advice and distribution, will leave the company to "puruse the next stage of his career."
 
Australian life insurer Asteron Life named David Plant as head of its operations and strategy implementation division. Plant joined from Aon Hewitt Financial Advice where he served as general manager. 
 
Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management chose fund managers Shinsuke Yauchi and Ken Nagano to head the Deutsche Normura Japan Growth Fund, its joint venture with Nomura Asset Management. 
 
Mark Burgess, managing director and president of the Australian Government Future Fund, left the agency to return to the private sector. The fund has yet to name his replacement and he will remain until then.
 
Credit Suisse Private Banking Asia-Pacific named Marcus Sloor as managing director and market leader for Malaysia effective 1 February 2014. Sloor was previously the managing director and region head for Nordic countries at UBS Wealth Management in Zurich. In his new role, he will report to Claudio de Sanctis, market area head for South East Asia.
 
Australian wealth management firm Perpetual appointed Paul Skamvougeras as the new deputy head of equities following the departure of Charlie Lanchester who is "leaving the funds management industry." Skamvougeras moved from CPH/Ellerston Capital where he worked for seven years. Also named was Nathan Parkin as co-head of the industrial share fund alongside incumbent Vince Pezzullo. 
 
Citi Private Bank named So-Yon Sohn as Asia-Pacific regional investments head. Sohn was previously the head of Asia-Pacific credit sales and fixed income sales in Hong Kong. She retains her current responsibilities and assist in the transition until her replacement is named. Malay Ghatak, interim head since March 2013, will focus on his other role as head of Citi Private Bank's global investment product management business. The previous head, Debashish Dutta Gupta, became the global market manager for India.
 
Coutts made a number of key hires in Hong Kong, including Philip Suen as director in its product and services development group and Beatrice Hoe and Ferdinand So as directors and senior investment consultants. Suen was previously part of Societe Generale, while Hoe and So came from HSBC Private Bank and Guosen Securities, respectively. Also hired was Jeffrey Yng as director in portfolio management and former Citi Private Bank executive Alan Lui.
 
AIMS AMP Capital Industrial REIT, the REIT venture of AIM Financial and AMP Capital, named Koh Wee Lin as chief executive effective 1 January 2014. Koh replaces Nicholas McGrath who will retire after five years with the firm. Koh joined the company in 2008. In his new role, he will move to Sydney but will remain on the trust's board as non-executive director.
 
Former Wells Fargo Securities Asia founder Greg Donohugh joined Hong Kong fund management firm Double Haven Capital as its new chief executive. Double Haven was established in 2011 when ex-Sparx Asia Investment Advisors CIO Darry Flynt decided to create his own hedge fund group. 
 
Mori Ryo, previously the deputy head of Japanese economic research at The Lexington Group, was named chief economist for the Asia region. He reports to Itsuki Nakamura, chief executive.
 
Asian financial services industry veteran Paul Schulte created a new research firm that focuses on banks and corporate credit in emerging markets. Schulte Research International opened in Hong Kong in mid-September. Schulte brings over 20 years of experience to this venture, most recently as global head of financial strategy and Asian banks at China Construction Bank.
 
Singapore investment firm Temasek Holdings named Dr Wu Yibing to succeed Ding Wei as head of China. Wei was appointed the advisory senior director for China. Wu was previously the chairman and CEO of Goldstone Investment, the direct investment arm of CITIC Securities. 
 
Natixis Global Asset Management created a new senior position in Hong Kong and named Davy Yuen as director, head of wholesale distribution. In this post, he is responsible for new business and client relationship management functions across private banks, consumer banks, insurance firms and IFAs. He joined the firm after six years at Man Investments Hong Kong as executive director.
 
BNP Paribas Investment Partners bolstered its Asia-Pacific and emerging markets business by appointing Ligia Torres as the new head. Torres was previously the head of the UK operation at BNP Paribas Wealth Management. She reports to Philippe Marchessaux, chief executive of BNPP IP. Also appointed was Vincent Camerlynck as CEO for Asia-Pacific. Camerlynck used to be the deputy CEO for Asia-Pacific and relocated from London to Hong Kong for the role.
 
BNY Mellon announced that Alex Buerge was hired to become head of investments and managing director for the new separately managed accounts division, reporting to AJ Harper, president and CEO of BNY Mellon's Asia-Pacific managed accounts business. Buerge moved from Credit Suisse, where he served as global head of international locations for the multi-asset class solutions business in Switzerland.
 
UBS Global Asset Management named Bryce Doherty as the new head for Australia and New Zealand, taking over from Ben Heap, who is stepping down after three years with the firm. Doherty was previously the head of wholesale for Australasia. His old role was assumed by Alistair Dune, who was the national sales manager for Victoria and South Australia. Anne Flockart, head of institutional sales, also joined the Australia board.
 
Global asset manager Pinebridge Investments boosted its Asian business with the hire of Yoohee Won in Hong Kong as managing director for business development. In this newly-created role, the reports to Rajeev Mittal, chief executive for Asia-Pacific. Won was previously the CEO of BNY Mellon Asset Management Korea.
 
Chandresh Nigam, managing director and chief executive of Axis Asset Management Company, joined Schroders along with his team to advise a new fund the company launched to focus on investment opportunities in India -- the Schroder ISF Indian Opportunities Fund.
 
Singapore advisory firm AlfaSec Advisors appointed veteran transaction banker Philippe Metoudi to lead its newly-opened Hong Kong ofice. Metoudi joined in 16 September as managing director and equity shareholder, partnering with Roger Harrold and Giles Elliott who established the firm in June 2013. The announcement came just a week after Dilip Kumar was hired from Deutsche Bank in Singapore to become sneior consultant, also based in Singapore. 
 
BNP Paribas Securities Servces, the securities services and investment operations arm of BNP Paribas, announced a series of senior appointments to its Asia-Pacific franchise. Mostapha Tahiri was named head of the Singapore unit, replacing Arnaud Claudon who was promoted to the newly-created role of global head of Depotbank and Fiduciary Services in Paris. In China, Jonathan Xie was appointed head of asset custory after serving as deputy head of Haitong International Asset Management in Hong Kong. Angely Yip also joined as sales director for North Asia (ex-Japan) based in Hong Kong. Yuki Teshima was hired as senior relationship manager for the Tokyo branch.
 
 
Singapore banking giant DBS hired former Macquarie Group executive Jerry Tse as the new Hong Kong-based CEO of DBS Asia Capital, replacing Stephen Ho, who is on "sabbatical leave." Tse left Macquarie in early September after over five years at the Australian bank.  
 
Old Mutual Global Investors announced that Jane Fung, the head of distribution for Asia, will step down in November 2013. Fung has been with the firm for the past 12 years. She will be replaced by Warren Tonkinson, head of global distribution, in the interim until the company is ready to announced the new head who is arriving November.
 
Global private equity and property investment house Altius Associates appointed Peter Pfister as partner and head of Asia-Pacific, based in Singapore and reporting to Brad Young, head of investments. Pfister was previously head of Asia-Pacific for Deutsche Bank's private equity business.
 
BNP Paribas Investment Partners named Kylie Chan as the new head of its Hong Kong and China distribution arm. Chan had been part of the firm since 2007 and prior to that served as an investment consultant at Citibank. 
 
UBS' wealth management arm in Asia-Pacific appointed LH Koh as country team head for a Chinese country group, reporting to Francis Liu, the regional market manager for China. Bryan Crawford took over from Koh as the head of institutional solutions group for APAC. Liu joined from IBD London, where he was the global head of GFO Advisory. Both appointments took effect 1 October 2013.
 
Global investment research firm Morningstar named Wing Chan as director of fund research, overseeing the company's qualitative fund research activities in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. Chan previously served as investment counsellor and vice president at EFG bank. He took over from Sunny Ng, who has moved on to become a vice president and portfolio strategist at State Street Global Advisors in Hong Kong.
 
Eastspring Investments, the asset management arm of Prudential Asia, appointed Nathalie Lou as its new head of retail sales in Hong Kong. Lou joined from Macquarie Funds Group, where she previously served as senior vice president, head of sales and client services.
 
Fidelity Worldwide Investment is making a number of hires to boost its presence in Asia, the firm has confirmed to WealthBriefingAsia. "We will hire selectively in Asia-Pacific," Chris McNickle, global head of institutional business – based in London, was quoted by AsianInvestor as saying, but declined to spell out numbers. The firm has 150 investment professionals and 400 institutional and retail distribution staff in the region.
 
Aon Risk Solutions, risk management arm of UK-based financial services firm,  named Lambros Lambrou as its new chief executive for Australia effective January 2014. He replaces long-time CEO Steve Nevett who will continue on a chairman of the Pacific region.
 
Old Mutual Wealth expanded its Asia operations with three senior appointments within both its offshore business, Skandia International, and its asset management business, Old Mutual Global Investors. Steve Hickman is now global head of high net worth in its international sales team. He joined from HSBC in Hong Kong, where he was head of distribution for high net worth business. Xerxes Wong also joined the commercial product team as the head actuary, high net worth Asia, based in Hong Kong. He joined from American International Assurance in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, at Old Mutual Global Investors, Carol Wong will join Old Mutual Global Investors team as head of distribution for Asia effective November 2013 (subject to regulatory approval). Wong will join from BNP Investment Partners in Hong Kong where she was head of distribution for Hong Kong, China and South East Asia.
 
Diversa Group, the investment management firm listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, announced changes to its senior management team. Stuart Korchinski, previously managing director, was promoted to chairman, replacing Matthew Morgan who will continue to sit on the board as a non-executive director. Vincent Parrott, formerly the head of funds management and trustee services, then became the new chief executive, taking over from Korchinski who had assumed the responsibility under his managing directorial duties since 2009.
 
Singapore's Ministry of Manpower set out a new set of rules that require companies to consider more skilled workers from within the country first before looking at foreigners' resumes. Effective 1 August 2014, the Fair Consideration Framework begins.
 
Skandia International appointed Steve Hickman as global head of high net worth in its international sales team. He joined from HSBC in Hong Kong, where he was head of distribution for high net worth business. 
 
Nikko Asset Management, the Japan-based investment firm, made two senior appointments for its Tokyo headquarters. Hideo Abe was named to the newly-created role of executive vice chairman to help enhance the firm's executive-level marketing capability both locally and overseas. He begins 1 October 2013. Also newly appointed is Mitsuaki Hasegawa as chief compliance officer and head of the compliance department, effective 7 October. Hasegawa replaced Ross Long, who on the same date moves on to become the chief legal officer at the firm.
 
GAM Holding Group, the Swiss-listed asset management firm, appointed Henry Choon  as head for its Asia-Pacific investment business effective 4 November 2013. Based in Hong Kong, he will lead the market development activities for the Asia ex-Japan region. Choon was previously a managing director for Lazard's regional arm in Hong Kong. 
 
Standard Chartered Singapore saw the resignation of Aditya Jayaraman, principal director at the bank involved in the non-resident Indian sector. Jayaraman is serving out his notice period. His future situation is unclear as of this writing.
 
Barclays, the UK banking giant, hired Ester Li, an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience, to lead its generalist equities sales division in Asia ex-Japan. Li joins the company as managing director and head of the unit from Daiwa Capital Markets, where she served as regional head of equity sales since 2010. In this new Hong Kong-based post, she will lead several generalist equities distribution teams across the Asia ex-Japan region.
 
Australasian Wealth Investments hired former head of UBS Global Asset Management, Ben Heap, as chief executive and managing director. Heap will join AWI later in 2013 at the completion of his contractual obligations with UBS, where he stepped down from his role as a managing director in early September.
 
Principal Global Investors, the asset management organisation and member of the Principal Financial Group, named Jane Fung as its new funds distribution head in Asia effective 3 October 2013. Prior to this, Fung was the regional sales head for Asia at Old Mutual Global Investors.
 
FE, a provider of investment data and analytics software, appointed Hon Wah Choi as director of business development and marketing for Asia, a newly created role based in Hong Kong. He used to work at Manulife International as an associate vice president of marketing and communications for Asia.
 
AXA Investment Managers relocated Mark Tinker from London to Hong Kong to become head of AXA Framlington Asia, the firm's equity specialist unit that manages some $65 billion in assets. Tinker joined the firm in November 2006 and before the appointment served as head of the global opportunities fund. Before that, he was global strategist at Execution Limited.
 
Standard Life Investments bolstered its Asian private banking and wholesale distribution business with the appointment of Virginia Devereux Wong to the newly-created role of head of institutional wholesale in Asia. Based in Hong Kong, she reports to David Peng, the head of Asia. Wong joined the company from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where she led the sales and business development in fund distribution to private banks in Asia ex-Japan.
 
Matthews Asia, the US-based Asia-focused investment manager, appointed Tina Tong to the newly-created role of vice president for Asia business development based in Hong Kong. Tong was previously the director of business development at Peak Capital. She reports to James Campion, the head of Asia business development.