Weekly roundup of people news, May 3
PE FIRM BERKELEY ASSETS TO EXPAND TO ASIA
Berkeley Assets, a private equity manager based in the British Virgin Islands, plans to set up offices in Hong Kong and Singapore in late 2019 or early 2020, a spokeswoman for the company told AsianInvestor.
It will confirm the number of staff, their focus and the heads of each office once the firm officially announces the opening, she added.
The planned offices will add to its existing locations in London and Dubai. In addition, Berkeley opened a branch in Marbella, Spain last month and intends to add outposts in Africa and Mexico City throughout 2019 and 2020, it added in a statement.
Berkeley has at least $500 million in capital but has "significantly larger" assets under management, said the spokeswoman.
MORGAN STANLEY HUAXIN NAMES NEW CEO
Morgan Stanley Huaxin, a joint venture between Morgan Stanley and Huaxin Securities, named Mandy Wang as chief executive and general manager based in Shenzhen.
The company could not respond to queries about the previous business head as there was an extended public holiday in China this week.
Her LinkedIn profile shows that she is the founder and chairperson of Shanghai-based Fullway Wealth Management. Before that, She had been the CEO of China International Fund Management Company, a joint venture between JP Morgan Asset Management and Shanghai Trust, between 2004 and 2010.
*This news in brief was updated to reflect that Wang did not join Morgan Stanley Huaxin from China International Fund Management Company.
LOOMIS SAYLES NAMES ASIA CREDIT PORTFOLIO MANAGER
Loomis Sayles Investments Asia, an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers, has promoted Chow Thu Ha to portfolio manager for Asia credit strategies and senior credit strategist in its emerging-markets debt team.
Loomis has just hired a credit portfolio manager and two other analysts in Singapore to form a new team to manage its Asia-focused fixed income fund.
She co-manages the firm’s recently launched Asia Bond Plus strategy with Elisabeth Colleran, an emerging-markets debt portfolio manager who is based in Boston.Based in Singapore, Chow reports to Boston-based David Walman, deputy chief investment officer for her new role, a Loomis Sayles spokeswoman told AsianInvestor.
Loomis Sayles created her new role and the strategy to strengthen its investment in Asia.
Chow was previously the senior credit research analyst at Loomis. In her new role, she continues reporting to Paul Ong, head of its Singapore office for the strategist role.
The appointment was effective January 1, but was announced on April 25.
PICTET WM HIRES ASIA HEAD OF INVESTMENTS
Pictet Wealth Management has hired Evelyn Yeo as Asia head of investments, based in Hong Kong.
She will start on June 17 and report to César Pérez Ruiz, Geneva-based head of investments and CIO of Pictet Wealth Management.
The new role was created to reinforce Pictet WM’s investment platform in Asia and building a locally based management team, a company spokesman said.
Yeo was until the end of April the Singapore-based head of sales management and investment content for Asia Pacific at UBS Wealth Management. Jerome Bernasconi, head of investment content and communications and client strategy office for Asia Pacific, has taken on Yeo’s former duties, a UBS spokeswoman said.
TA ASSOCIATES HIRES SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
Boston-based private equity firm TA Associates has hired Andrew Tay as a senior vice president in Hong Kong to focus on investments in the Asia-Pacific region, according to an announcement made April 23.
TA Associates did not respond to an AsianInvestor query as to whether he has replaced anyone.
Before joining TA, Tay was a vice president at Hong Kong-based Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) in the firm’s Singapore office. According to his LinkedIn profile, Tay left the company in 2019.
BPEA declined to clarify when Tay left the firm and who has taken over his responsibilities. Prior to BPEA, Tay was a private equity associate at New York-based private equity-based Snow Phipps Group.
BAIN & COMPANY NAMES APAC SENIOR EXEC
US consulting firm Bain & Company has relocated Henrik Naujoks from Germany to Hong Kong to head its Asia Pacific financial services practice, in addition to his role as global head of the insurance practice.
Naujoks jointly reports to global head of financial services Edmund Lin and managing partner for Asia Pacific Satish Shankar. Both Lin and Shankar are based in Singapore.
Peter Stumbles was previously Asia-Pacific head of the financial services practice, and he recently became managing partner for the Australia office.
BFINANCE APPOINTS SENIOR ADVISER
Bfinance, a London-based consulting firm, has named Gerard Parlevliet as senior adviser in Sydney, effective April 2019.
Parlevliet’s role has been created to further the firm’s expansion in the Australian market, after its Sydney office opened in 2016. He reports to Frithjof van Zyp, Sydney-based director of the consulting firm.
He retired from his role of chief investment officer for Commonwealth Bank Group Super in March 2017 and was succeeded by Ruwanie Dias, who took on the position starting July 2018.
Parlevliet currently holds the role of non-director and committee member with CBHS Health Fund. He is also a board member of La Trobe Financial and independent director of Primesuper.
T. ROWE PRICE NAMES SENIOR EQUITY ANALYST
US fund house T. Rowe Price has appointed Kim Tracey as investment analyst for its equity team in Australia, effective April 8.
Based in Sydney, Tracey reports to head of research Ryan Martyn, who is also based in the city. She is responsible for sourcing investment opportunities in the healthcare and real estate investment trust (Reit) sectors. The firm has an A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) Australian equity strategy.
Tracey filled the role left vacant by Martyn when he became the firm’s head of Australian research last year, a spokeswoman told AsianInvestor.
She was previously Sydney-based portfolio manager at Colonial First State Global Asset Management, after leaving that firm in May 2018 following the closure of its Australian equities team, a spokeswoman said.