Weekly roundup of people news, Jan 31
WILLIS TOWERS WATSON HEAD OF MPF ADVISORY SERVICES QUITS
Eric Lam, head of MPF advisory services of Willis Towers Watson, will be leaving the firm in March, AsianInvestor can reveal.
Lam was based in Hong Kong. The firm's spokeswoman said he will depart to pursue other opportunities. Until a replacement is announced, she added, Lam's responsibilities will be carried out by other members of the retirement business team.
KIWI FUND HOUSE HIRES EQUITIES MANAGER FROM AUSTRALIANSUPER
New Zealand-headquartered Milford Asset Management has hired Alex Whight from AustralianSuper as global equities portfolio manager, a new position.
Whight, who is set to start in the first week of February in Sydney, will continue to focus on global equities, and helps expand Milford AM’s capabilities in Australia. The asset management company reportedly aims to launch at least one new global equities product on the back of Whight’s appointment.
"Alex brings an investment skill set and stock coverage experience that complements our existing Auckland-based global equities team," a spokesman told AsianInvestor, adding that he will "broaden our coverage of international equities, and add further depth and perspective to the global team investment process and portfolio positioning."
Whight will report to Wayne Gentle, chief investment officer and head of Australian equities. The spokesman said this is a one-off appointment.
AustralianSuper spokesman confirmed that Whight had left, after working at the superannuation fund for over four years. Before that he had been an equity research analyst covering European equities at JP Morgan in London, while he was also an associate research analyst at Tyndall Investment Management, according to his LinkedIn page.
T ROWE PRICE NAMES PORTFOLIO SPECIALIST IN AUSTRALIA
T Rowe Price appointed Sam Ruiz as portfolio specialist, the first such role to be based in Sydney.
Ruiz joined on January 6, and reports to London-based Helen Ford, T. Rowe Price's head of investment specialist group for both Europe, Middle East and Africa and also Asia Pacific.
He will support the firm’s portfolio managers alongside the Australian equities and global investment teams, and provide investment expertise to local retail and institutional clients.
Ruiz’s role is newly created, with his duties previously being handled by other Asia Pacific-based portfolio specialists, a spokeswoman said.
He joined from Macquarie Asset Management, where he had been head of investment strategy and solutions. Macquarie Asset Management declined to comment on his departure or whether the position will be replaced.
FORMER PICTET MD JOINS SINGAPORE FUND HOUSE
Reshmi Seghal, a former senior executive at Pictet, has joined the Singapore-based Lighthouse Canton as its managing director in the wealth advisory team.
She joined the asset manager and family office advisory firm on January 16 to help to drive business strategies and grow its client base. She reports to Shilpi Chowdhary, Singapore-based chief executive of Lighthouse Canton, a company spokeswoman said.
Sehgal’s role is a newly created one and she is tasked for building a new team going forward, she added.
Sehgal left Pictet Wealth Management in September last year, where she was a managing director overseeing non-resident Indian clients, a company spokesman said.
Before that, she had worked at BNP Paribas in Singapore for 21 years, her LinkedIn profile shows.
AKIN GUMP ENHANCES ASIA INVESTMENT ASIA MANAGEMENT PRACTICE
International law firm Akin Gump expanded its investment management capabilities in Asia, relocating Olivia Chung, investment management partner, and Divya Thakur, senior counsel, to its Singapore office. They moved into their new roles during January 2020, a spokesman told AsianInvestor.
Chung and Thakur previously worked out of the the firm’s New York and London offices, respectively. They relocated to boost its private equity funds and hedge funds practices in Asia, in additiion to its existing funds practices in Hong Kong, the US and Europe.
Chung, who is registered as a foreign lawyer in Singapore, assists private fund sponsors to form, structure and operate private equity funds and hedge funds as well as managed accounts and investment solutions. Her practice in the lion city will continue to focus on private investment fund matters, working with the teams in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Thakur previously worked in the London and Singapore offices, assisting established and first-time fund sponsors and managers in the formation of investment funds. She is also registered as a foreign lawyer in Singapore.
These roles are not new but relocated, the spokesman said. Akin Gump has two offices with a focus on investment funds in Asia; its Singapore office is led by Robert Griffin, while Anne-Marie Godfrey leads the Hong Kong office. Both lawyers will continue to work closely together with the firm’s investment management team across the US and Europe, the spokesman said,