Weekly roundup of people news, May 17
CLUB PLUS SUPER CHAIR STEPS DOWN
Tara Moriarty, chairwoman of Australia's Club Plus Superannuation, has stepped down, according to the fund’s announcement on May 14.
Having spent 13 years at the retirement fund and two-and-a-half years as chair, Moriarty was elected a member of the Legislative Council for New South Wales.
Club Plus did not response to AsianInvestor’s queries on whether the fund has identified her replacement or who is taking care of her duties in the interim.
INDOSUEZ WM NAMES ASIA CEO
France's Indosuez Wealth Management has appointed Omar Shokur to chief executive for Asia and branch manager for Singapore.
The appointment will be effective July 1, subject to approval from relevant authorities. He will relocate from Switzerland to Singapore for the new role and report to Jean-Francois Deroche, chief executive of CA Indosuez, who is based in Switzerland.
Shokur was previously head of markets for investment and structuring teams for Indosuez for Switzerland and Asia. In his new role he succeeds Pierre Masclet, who will take up the role of deputy chief executive of Indosuez on July 1.
PICTET SETS UP ASIA FAMILY OFFICE UNIT
Pictet Wealth Management has set up a unit to service family offices in Asia and hired Pamela Hsu Phua from rival Julius Baer to lead it.
She will join the Swiss private bank in Hong Kong in June and will report to Claude Haberer, Asia chief executive, who is also based in Hong Kong. Phua will lead four other individuals in the new division, said a spokeswoman, declining to disclose their names, positions or background.
Phua was previously head of intermediaries for Greater China at Julius Baer. The spokeswoman said Sandro Treier, formerly a relationship manager, succeeded her in March.
FUNDROCK OPENS IN SINGAPORE
FundRock, a Luxembourg-based fund services provider, has opened a branch in Singapore headed by Timothy Walkley, managing director for Asia markets.
According to a media statement, he has been involved in the investment management industry for over 20 years, and has been involved in China-focused investment activities since 1999 covering both private and public equities. He most recently launched a China A-share ETF in partnership with FundRock for a large Chinese investment manager.
FundRock did not elaborate further on what Walkley had been doing prior to starting in the new role.
FORMER CONVOY DIRECTOR FACES FRAUD CHARGE
Cho Kwai-chee, a former director of Hong Kong-based financial advisory firm Convoy Global Holdings, was charged with conspiracy to defraud on May 16.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption accused Cho of conspiring to defraud the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and Convoy's board, shareholders and investors by causing its subsidiary to acquire an investment owned by him at a consideration of over HK$89 million ($11.3 million).
The corruption watchdog laid the charge against Cho after a joint investigation with Securities and Futures Commission started in December 2017.
Convoy did not reply to AsianInvestor's questions about when Cho left and who would now take care of his duties.
CAPITAL GROUP HIRES NEW ASIA MARKETING HEAD
US-based asset manager Capital Group has named Heidi Sutton as managing director of Asia marketing, effective May 14.
Based in Singapore, Sutton was previously global head of marketing at First State Investments. She replaces Michelle Han, who left Capital Group in April 2018.
Sutton now reports to David Cowdell, Capital’s managing director for Asia and Europe marketing.
A spokeswoman for First State said Sutton left at the end of March and that the firm would start recruiting for her replacement in the coming months. In the interim, Chris Turpin, managing director for Europe and global head of responsible investment, product and marketing, is overseeing marketing.
Before working for First State, Sutton had overseen marketing for the Asia operations of JP Morgan Asset Management and Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
ABERDEEN STANDARD ADDS TO ESG CAPABILITIES
UK-based Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) has appointed Bill Hartnett as ESG investment director as of June 2.
The role was created to provide additional support to ASI’s investment teams in Asia Pacific and emerging markets on environmental, social and governance matters, a spokeswoman said.
Hartnett will report to Euan Stirling, global head of stewardship and ESG investment, and will be based in London. ASI has a 20-strong global ESG team, with 30 ESG specialists based in several markets covering different asset classes.
Prior to joining ASI, Hartnett in March 2019 left Sydney-based superannuation fund Local Government Super (LGS), where he was head of responsible investment.
LGS appointed responsible investment manager Moya Yip as acting head of responsible investment in March 2019, a spokeswoman told AsianInvestor.
JUPITER NAMES GLOBAL HEAD OF DISTRIBUTION
Jupiter Fund Management has hired Phil Wagstaff from Janus Henderson Investors as global head of distribution.
Based in London, Wagstaff will start on June 5 and report to Andrew Formica, Jupiter's chief executive, a spokesman said.
Wagstaff replaces Nick Ring, who will leave Jupiter to pursue other executive opportunities after four years in the role, the spokesman added.
Wagstaff was previously London-based global head of distribution at rival Janus Henderson Investors until January 31, the spokesman said. He is being replaced at the company by Suzanne Cain, who will join Janus Henderson in Denver, Colorado on May 20.
Janus Henderson was formed by the merger of Denver-based Janus Capital and London-based Henderson Global Investors in 2017.
BNP PARIBAS AM APPOINTS GLOBAL HEAD OF INVESTMENTS
France's BNP Paribas Asset Management has announced the appointment of Rob Gambi as global head of investments, based in London.
He joined this week and reports to chief executive Frédéric Janbon, who had previously also held the function of head of investments, a spokesman told AsianInvestor.
Most recently, Gambi was chief investment officer of London-based Henderson Global Investors, before its 2017 merger with Janus Capital. Before that, he was global head of fixed income at UBS Global Asset Management.
According to a statement in January 2016, Gambi left Henderson left the business in December 2015 after the company reviewed its executive structure and decided there was no longer a need for the CIO role.