Weekly roundup of people news, Nov 13
Nikko AM creates global product promotions role
Japan’s Nikko Asset Management has promoted Peter Lynn to the newly created role of head of global product promotions in Singapore, effective as of November 18.
Lynn was formerly managing director for New Zealand at Nikko AM and will be replaced by George Carter, who joined from Australian fund house AMP Capital, where he was head of distribution. AMP is seeking a replacement.
Lynn will work to better promote the Singapore-managed asset classes of global multi-asset, Asia ex-Japan equity and Asia ex-Japan fixed income throughout Nikko AM’s global sales network.
His role was established as the product promotions team is expanding the breadth and depth of its coverage, said a spokeswoman. Lynn’s priority is building global distribution of the local asset classes, through both direct channels outside and inside the region. He will also work with the Asia sales team on importing in-house strategies into their markets.
“Singapore is our largest investment management hub outside Tokyo, and given growing demand for the Asian ex-Japan strategies, as well as multi-asset, we need to give the team greater direction by placing management on the ground,” the spokeswoman told AsianInvestor.
The firm declined to comment on whether Lynn had a remit to hire.
He had joined Nikko AM New Zealand in 2000. His previous roles with the company there included head of strategy, head of quantitative analysis and head of client services.
The New Zealand business’s assets under management stood at NZ$4.6 billion ($2.9 billion) as of September 2015, a $700 million increase since December 2014.
Lui joins ICBC Credit Suisse to build index, quant team
The international arm of ICBC Credit Suisse Asset Management has named Laura Lui in the newly created role of head of index and quantitative investment. She reports to chief executive Richard Tang and is based in Hong Kong.
Lui was previously Hong Kong-based head of exchange-traded funds and indexes at Korea’s Mirae Asset Global Investments. She was replaced by Carmen Cheung, ETF sales and capital markets director at the same firm, as reported.
Lui has a mandate to build an ETF and index team at ICBC Credit Suisse. Her appointment follows the firm’s recent collaboration with S&P Dow Jones on the new S&P China 500 index. The fund house plans to launch a range of related ETF and index products in the first half of next year.
Lui will work closely with Elvin Yu, who joined in September as head of international sales and client relationships from German fund manager Allianz Global Investors. He effectively replaced chief marketing officer Doris Wong.
ICBC Credit Suisse AM is a joint venture between Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Credit Suisse. As of September 30, the firm had around 550 employees and Rmb800 billion ($126 billion) in assets under management.
JP Morgan AM names new Asia marketing chief
JP Morgan Asset Management has appointed Gloria Chung as chief marketing officer for Asia Pacific and also head of market planning for the funds business (but not the institutional business) in the region.
She joined from passive investment specialist Vanguard, where she was Asia head of marketing for two years, and replaces Heidi Sutton, who took up the role at JPM AM in January 2013.
Vanguard declined to comment on whether Chung had been replaced.
Based in Hong Kong, Chung joined JPM AM in October and reports to Richard Chambers, chief marketing officer based in New York and to Michael Falcon, chief executive of Asia Pacific based in Hong Kong.
Before joining Vanguard, Chung spent 10 years at HSBC in sales and marketing.
Sunsuper poaches from Jana to replace retiring CIO
Australian multi-employer pension fund Sunsuper has appointed Ian Patrick as its new chief investment officer to succeed David Hartley, who is retiring.
Patrick joins the A$32 billion ($22.8 billion) fund from Jana Investment Advisers, a Sydney-based consultancy, where he had been chief executive since 2008 and principal since 2002.
Jim Lamborn, formerly head of implemented consulting at Jana, has replaced Patrick. Lamborn is based in Melbourne, but will also be working from the Sydney office.
Prior to joining Jana, Patrick worked at consultancy firms Mercer, Alexander Forbes, and South Africa-based Ginsburg Malan & Carsons.
Sunsuper has also re-hired Andrew Fisher as a portfolio manager. He had spent six months working at New Zealand Superannuation Fund, before which he had worked at Sunsuper for five years.
Former CIO David Hartley announced his retirement from Sunsuper in August, after 10 years in the post. During his tenure the portfolio grew from A$6 billion to A$30 billion.
Ex-StanChart DCM head takes specialty funds role at ANZ
Peter Szekely, former head of debt capital markets at Standard Chartered, has joined ANZ as head of specialty funds for Asia, as reported by FinanceAsia, a sister publication to AsianInvestor.
In this newly created role, Szekely covers specialty funds, including financial sponsors and sovereign wealth funds, and assists in co-ordinating product strategies and developing financing solutions.
Szekely, who left StanChart in August, will remain in Hong Kong and now reports to Giles Borten, ANZ's global head of funds and insurance.
Szekely had joined StanChart in 2011 to run its global high-yield product group before taking over as head of DCM. He previously worked at independent advisory firm StormHarbour and in leveraged finance at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse.
SG names new Asia head of prime services
Societe Generale has appointed James Shekerdemian as head of Asia-Pacific prime services. He replaces Laurent Cunin who left the bank at the end of October.
Shekerdemian retains his role as global head of prime brokerage sales but will relocate to Hong Kong from London. He joined SG’s prime brokerage business, then under the Newedge name, in February 2012.
Shekerdemian reports to London-based co-heads of prime services Chris Topple and Christophe Lattuada and locally to Asia-Pacific head of global markets Frank Drouet.
Cunin had worked for the SG since January 1994, taking up the role of Asia-Pacific head of Newedge in March 2010, according to his LinkedIn profile.
SFC welcomes appointment of non-executive directors
Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has welcomed the appointment by the financial secretary of Lester Garson Huang and the re-appointment of Mary Ma Xuezheng as non-executive directors for a term of two years from November 15, 2015.
Ma was first appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the SFC on November 15, 2013.
Lawrence Lee Kam-hung's current term will expire on November 14; he has been a member of the SFC board since 2009. He is chairman of Hong Kong, China, Vietnam and Korea at law firm Baker & McKenzie.
Huang is managing partner of law firm PC Woo & Co and Ma chairman of private equity firm Boyu Capital.
Other people news reported on AsianInvestor.net in the past week:
Shaping up for China's onshore bond bonanza
Nomura AM Taiwan builds out, seeks sub-advisers
Industry ponders KIC chief's resignation