UPDATED: BLACKROCK POACHES HSBC ALTERNATIVES HEAD

BlackRock has lured Gary Leung from HSBC Private Bank as a director on its alternatives specialists team with a focus on hedge funds and liquid alternatives, AsianInvestor can reveal.

Hong Kong-based Leung joined the world's largest fund manager in September from the UK bank, where he had been Hong Kong head of alternative investments. He reports to James Mellors, Asia-Pacific head of BlackRock Alternatives Specialists.

Leung’s representative licence with the US fund house took effect on October 12, according to Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission.

There have also been two other additions to the team in 2017 to cover Korea and Japan, respectively, complementing its coverage in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, said a spokeswoman. She did not provide their names or the dates they started.

Mellors told AsianInvestor that BlackRock Alternative Specialists was adding resources across key markets to broaden its coverage. The firm is seeing very strong uptick in demand for alternatives from investors in Asia Pacific, particularly for income-focused strategies, he added. 

BlackRock managed $146 billion of alternative assets globally as at June 30, up from $132 billion as of end-2016.

Leung had spent nearly four years at HSBC in Hong Kong, joining the bank in November 2013. Before that he worked for RimAsia Capital Partners and Deutsche Bank.

HSBC PRIVATE BANK NAMES DUO TO COVER NORTH ASIA

HSBC Private Bank has named two market heads to its North Asia coverage team in Singapore.

Alfred Low has joined HSBC as market head for North Asia ex-Hong Kong, while Tse Yi-mun is promoted internally to become market head for Hong Kong. The appointments took effect on October 23.

Low will oversee clients from China, Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines who have accounts in Singapore. Tse was previously the desk head at the bank, and in her new role will oversee Hong Kong client accounts in Singapore.

The duo report to Philip Kunz, who last week became Southeast Asia head of HSBC Private Bank. They also report to Yau Chingyee, co-head for North Asia.

Low and Tse’s appointments are made to replace Tim Yu, who formerly oversaw North Asia including Hong Kong from Singapore. Yu has left the bank to pursue other opportunities, according to a company spokeswoman. AsianInvestor could not ascertain Yu's next move.  

Low was previously the Singapore-based team leader for Greater China at Credit Suisse private banking, a position he left in October, according to his LinkedIn profile. Credit Suisse declined to comment on whether it has found a replacement for his role yet.

SCHRODERS HIRES ASIA MULTI-ASSET FUND MANAGER

British asset management firm Schroders has appointed Yang Zijian in Hong Kong as multi-asset fund manager for Asia.

Effective November 1, Yang (pictured) will head up management of Schroders' Life-Cycle funds, the firm’s Occupational Retirement Schemes Ordinance (Orso) offerings. He will report to Patrick Brenner, Asia head of multi-asset investments.

Yang replaces Daniel Caderas, who left the firm in August, a Schroders spokesman said. AsianInvestor could not confirm Caderas's next move.

Yang was most recently senior portfolio manager at Allianz Global Investors, where his last day was October 31, an Allianz spokeswoman said.

Allianz GI declined to comment on his replacement.

Yang was a portfolio manager at Allianz GI for several years on the multi-asset fund management side, according to his LinkedIn profile.

His appointment follows Schroders' hire of Keiko Kondo last month from UBS Asset Management as deputy head of multi-asset for Asia, as first reported by AsianInvestor. 

JANET LI LEAVES WILLIS TOWERS WATSON

Janet Li, formerly director of investments for Greater China at Willis Towers Watson, left the consultancy this week.

Her last day in the office was at the end of October, a spokesperson said. WTW didn’t reveal whether Li would be directly replaced, but said Jayne Bok, head of investments for Asia and head of the Asia client consulting team, will continue to lead and work with their investments team on all client responsibilities.

Li had been with WTW for 16 years, joining in 2001. AsianInvestor couldn’t ascertain her next move by press time.

NOAH APPOINTS AUSTRALIAN CEO

Chinese wealth manager Noah has entered the Australian market by opening an office and appointing  Grace Tsui as chief executive, the company said in a statement on October 27.

Tsui (pictured) assumed her duties at Noah in September and is based in Melbourne. She reports to group president Kenny Lam. The first office is in Melbourne and the firm is looking to open in other cities in Australia later, Lam told AsianInvestor.

Tsui was most recently head of multicultural customers acquisition at Westpac Group until August. Westpac didn't respond to a query on Tsui's replacement by press time. She had also worked at ANZ Private Bank.

FORMER INVESCO INFRA SPECIALIST JOINS ARIANA IM 

Susanta Mazumdar, former investment director of the Asia Pacific infrastructure fund at Invesco, joined Ariana Investment Management in Singapore in September.

Ariana IM is fully owned by Raju Shukla, who was the majority shareholder in London-based Ocean Dial Asset Management. The latter was was taken over by India-based Avendus Capital on August 9. Avendus Capital is 70% owned by private equity firm KKR.

Mazumdar, who left Invesco in December 2016, has co-launched a new Asia-Pacific infrastructure fund at Ariana IM, which is currently open to investment. The fund, launched in October, targets wealthy individuals, family offices and institutional investors, Mazumdar told AsianInvestor. 

Ariana IM also has two other funds launched in 2014: Sanchi Value Credit Fund and the Ocean Dial Arbitrage Fund.

Invesco declined to comment on the departure.

JANUS HENDERSON HIRES RISK AND COMPLIANCE MANAGER

Agnes Tan has joined Janus Henderson Investors as regional risk and compliance manager in August from State Street Global Advisors, AsianInvestor can reveal. She replaces Kenneth Ho, who left the firm in June.

Singapore-based Tan reports to the head of risk and compliance pan Asia, Sam Mosse, who is based in Sydney, Australia.

At SSGA, Tan was assistant vice-president of compliance, according to her LinkedIn profile. SSGA did not respond to AsianInvestor's queries by press time.

Other people news reported by AsianInvestor in the past week:

Samsung AM hires HK ETF head, readies more funds

New Fed chair gets thumbs up from Asia investors

New MAS bans highlight issues for wealth managers

Shenzhen Qianhai hands out first IM-WFOE licence