Japanese Asset Management Titan Continues Hiring Drive Across Asia, Globe

Tom Burroughes

11 November 2014

Japan-headquartered investment house Nikko Asset Management has appointed three executives to lead, respectively, client development in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, consultant relations on a global basis and sales in North Asia. This adds to a number of other global hires in recent weeks.

John Howland-Jackson, based in London, has joined as the firm’s vice chairman of Nikko Asset Management Europe and senior advisor for the Middle East, Africa and Asia region. A financier with more than 40 years of experience, Howland-Jackson most recently worked as a senior managing director at ING Bank.

Ian Lewis, based in Singapore, has assumed the position of head of global consultant relations. Lewis has more than 25 years of experience in the financial industry and worked for companies including UBS Global Asset Management and Towers Perrin (now Towers Watson). He was most recently a partner at Ardevora Asset Management.

Charles Allard, based in Hong Kong, has been appointed head of sales, North Asia. Nikko Asset Management is aiming to extend its reach toward sophisticated investors in the region, where it has a successful joint venture in place with Rongtong Fund Management, it said. llard has 25 years experience in the financial industry, most of it spent in Asia. He previously worked for Winton Capital Management.

The investment firm held $168 billion of assets under management as at 30 June this year. It now is represented in 25 locations in 12 countries.

In October, Nikko AM said that Andre Severino was named head of fixed income for the US and Europe. Severino joined the firm in New York in 2007. Roger Bridges, based in Sydney, was named global rates and currencies strategist. Bridges joined the firm in 1998 and has most recently been responsible for providing macroeconomic research and strategic direction to the Nikko Asset Management Australia fixed income team. John Vail was named as leader of its global investment committee process and thought leadership effort after relocating to New York from Tokyo in November.

In May, the firm signalled its focus on family offices as a source of client by appointing Stefanie Drews, former global head of key clients and family offices at Barclays’ wealth arm. She relocated to Tokyo.