RBC GAM hires new Asia head
Canadian fund house RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) has hired Ken Tam to be its new head of Asia.
Hong Kong-based Tam has joined from Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management (Deutsche AWM), where he was Asia ex-Japan head of its global client group until resigning several months ago. Tam joined RBC GAM last Tuesday (August 18).
As managing director and head of Asia for RBC Investment Management (Asia), Tam will oversee RBC GAM’s Asia-Pacific business, excluding BlueBay Asset Management, and will report to London-based Clive Brown, RBC GAM International’s CEO and managing director. Brown joined RBC GAM last October, as reported.
RBC GAM is the asset management division of Royal Bank of Canada and is part of RBC Wealth Management.
Tam has replaced Adam Matthews, RBC GAM’s former Asia head, who has moved to Sweden for personal reasons. While Matthews has already moved to Sweden, he will remain with the firm until the end of 2015 to assist with the transition.
Asked if RBC GAM was mainly focusing on equity products, Tam told AsianInvestor he hadn’t reviewed everything yet but said that “internally there are various solutions that we can introduce to our clients”. RBC GAM’s Asia clients are mainly institutional investors.
Tam said he planned to expand his team, in the client service area, over the next 12-18 months, and had a roadmap that he would be presenting to senior management.
As to whether mutual recognition of funds meant there were opportunities to move beyond institutional clients, Tam said: “With my background in distribution business, all these are on my radar screen but those details need time to figure out”.
Tam said he planned to fly to the UK and Canada over the coming few months to discuss his plans with his superiors, following which he would be able to provide more details.
Tam joined Deutsche AWM in March 2014, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to that he worked at Jardine Fleming – and then when it became JP Morgan Asset Management – between 1994-2013. His positions there included managing director and chief financial officer. Previously he was a senior accountant at PwC between 1988-1993.
RBC GAM announced the appointment of Clive Brown as CEO and managing director of RBC GAM International on August 20 last year. It was a newly-created role overseeing Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific excluding BlueBay Asset Management. Brown assumed the role on October 1, 2014, reporting to John Montalbano, chief executive of RBC GAM.
But then in December 2014, RBC GAM announced that Damon Williams and Alex Khein would be taking over as co-CEOs of RBC GAM from May 1. Khein has remained as CEO of Blue Bay AM, which RBC GAM acquired in 2010.
Brown joined Jardine Fleming in April 1991. His last role at JP Morgan Asset Management was global COO and Asia chairman from August 2010-August 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Other ex-JP Morgan AM hires have included Mayur Nallamala, who was appointed as RBC GAM’s head of Asian equities in August 2013.
Matthews is also an alumnus of JP Morgan AM, having worked there from March 2000-October 2011. Matthews joined RBC GAM in October 2011.
RBC GAM does not release separate Asia figures, but it had a global AUM of C$388 billion ($292 billion) as of July 31 this year.