GAM NAMES JAPAN SALES HEAD

Swiss asset manager GAM has hired Shizu Kishimoto as Japan president to lead a seven-strong sales and client support team in Tokyo.

Effective August 14, Kishimoto will also serve as representative director at GAM, which had Sfr131 billion ($136.43 billion) under management as of June 30.

She replaces Manabu Tokieda, who left the firm in September last year, and will report to Rossen Djounov, who was named head of Asia and relocated to Hong Kong in May this year.

Kishimoto joins GAM from Schroder Investment Management, where she was Japan head of intermediary business. Schroders declined to comment.  

She spent 13 years at BNY Mellon Asset Management in Japan, where she was most recently representative director and president.

BNP PARIBAS WM CONFIMS LEE HIRE

BNP Paribas has confirmed the appointment of Lemuel Lee as deputy head of investment services for Asia Pacific and head of investment services for Hong Kong in its wealth management division, effective August 1. AsianInvestor first reported in June that Lee would be joining BNP Paribas WM

Based in Hong Kong, Lee reports to Arnaud Tellier, head of investment services for Asia Pacific.

He succeeds Maggi Tsui in both roles, while she remains at the firm as special adviser.

Lee was previously head of equities for Asia, at JP Morgan Private Bank. He left the firm in June.

UBS ADDS TO GLOBAL FAMILY OFFICE TEAM IN HONG KONG

UBS has added Eric Sam as a director of its global family office team in Hong Kong.

The wealth manager said the job was new. A spokesperson said Sam did not have a "specific role" but would support the team as a director.

Sam, who joined at the end of June, will report to Enrico Mattoli, head of the global family office division for Greater China.

Sam previously worked at Credit Suisse, but Credit Suisse and UBS both declined to clarify what his role was there.

WILLIS TOWERS WATSON ADDS TO FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS TEAM

Willis Towers Watson has hired Fabien Conderanne as deputy head of financial solutions for Asia Pacific, effective August 1. He reports to Stuart Ashworth, managing director of financial solutions for Asia Pacific.

Conderanne will focus on credit insurance and political risk, the company said. His responsibilities were previously taken up by other team members

The Asia-Pacific financial solutions division comprises around 20 people, who work closely with Willis Towers Watson’s trade credit colleagues throughout the region, a spokesperson told AsianInvestor by email. 

Conderanne was previously Singapore chief executive at credit insurance provider Coface, which is headquartered in France and before that as Asia-Pacific chief financial officer for the same firm. Coface Singapore could not be reached for comment.

HAI TONG AM HIRES SALESWOMAN FROM BMO GLOBAL AM

Hai Tong Asset Management has recruited a Hong Kong-based director from the sales team at Canada's BMO Global Asset Management. 

Xie Yi took over as managing director of Hai Tong Asset Management on July 3. She reports to Yang Jianxin, chief investment officer and managing director of the company. The company declined to comment on the size of the team she leads.

Xie's last day with BMO Global was June 30, AsianInvestor reported earlier. She joined BMO in 2010.

Before joining BMO, Xie was associate director of investment management at HSBC Private Bank.

GENERAL ATLANTIC HIRES SPECIAL ADVISER ON INDONESIA

US private equity firm General Atlantic has appointed John Prasetio as special adviser for Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on Indonesia, effective on August 1.

He will advise on areas such as revenue generation, operational issues and human capital.

Besides Prasetio, General Atlantic has two other special advisors for Asia Pacific region, who are Huh Yong-Hak with particular focus on China, and Lee Hsien-Yang with a general focus on the region.

Prasetio will remain in his other role as president commissioner of the Indonesia Stock Exchange.

He has also served as Indonesian ambassador to South Korea, Asia-Pacific chief executive of Andersen Worldwide, regional senior advisory chairman of Ernst & Young Global, independent commissioner of Bank Permata, and outside director of Manila-based Energy Development Corporation.

NEWTON IM NAMES NEW CIO

Newton Investment Management (Newton IM), part of US-based BNY Mellon Investment Management, is introducing a new role of chief investment officer, as part of a new management structure.
 
Curt Custard will join Newton AM on August 14 as CIO, the company announced on Friday. Charles French will remain head of investment. Some of the detail of how Custard and French work together will evolve once Custard has started, a spokesperson said. Both Custard and French are based in London.
 
Custard joins from UBS Asset Management, where he was group managing director and head of investment solutions in London and Chicago. His LinkedIn page shows that he left UBS AM in June 2017. 

 Michael Ho, who joined UBS AM in March in the role of CIO of investment solutions, has taken over Custard’s responsibilities, a spokesperson said. Ho was previously CIO of global macro and alternatives at State Street Global Advisors  
 
Newton IM has also promoted Julian Lyne, currently global head of distribution, to take on an expanded role as chief commercial officer, which will include responsibility for the firm’s client relationship area.  

NIKKO AM BULKS UP GLOBAL EQUITIES TEAM WITH NEW HIRE

Nikko Asset Management has appointed Jeremy Hall as investment director for global equities, bringing that team up to six portfolio managers, based in Edinburgh, Scotland.  

Hall replaces another portfolio manager who left, but Nikko AM declined to provide any detalls.

Hall was most recently partner and investment manager at UK-based Cartesian Capital Partners, which announced in December last year that it would wind up, with two of its three UK equity portfolios merged into Sanditon Asset Management funds.

Thesis Unit Trust Management, an associate corporate director for Cartesian Capital, declined to say when Hall left the firm.

At Cartesian, Hall used to be responsible for both UK equity and long and long-short funds.

TAIWAN LIFE APPOINTS NEW HEADS OF INVESTMENT DIVISIONS

Taiwan Life has named new heads of its two investment divisions, known as divisions I and II,  AsianInvestor can reveal.

Ryan Hsieh becomes head of investment division I, leading financial investment products. Former chief investment officer Alex Liu is now head of investment division II. Liu focuses on domestic and overseas real estate investment projects and commercial loan products.

Hsieh has been with Taiwan Life for four years. Hsieh was deputy of Liu and in charge of the fixed income department before the promotion.

Both Hsieh and Liu report to general manager Lin Chin-Miao. Their appointments took effect in January.

Taiwan Life’s investable assets grew 3.3% in the first quarter to NT$1.23 trillion ($41 billion) as of end March. It posted 3.79% of investment returns in the first three months, down from 4.07% for 2016. But that’s not bad as Cathay Life, the largest insurer in Taiwan with NT$5.07 trillion investable assets, posted 3.7% investment returns in the first quarter, also lower than its 4% investment returns for the year of 2016.

Other people news reported on AsianInvestor in the past week:

Prudential hires Malaysia CIO

Value Partners hires from Mirae Asset for quant push

Eastspring taps Nikko AM for Singapore risk chief

Red-hot Indian private equity lures family wealth