Weekly roundup of people news, Oct 9
ABERDEEN STANDARD LOSES ASIA EQUITY MANAGER
Gan Ai-Mee, one of Aberdeen Standard Investments' Asia equity managers, left the UK fund house in February, AsianInvestor can reveal. She has taken a career break and her responsibilities have been assigned to other members of the Asia Pacific equity team in Singapore, a spokeswoman said.
“Our Asian equities fund managers always work as a team in managing our portfolios,” she added. “There’s no impact on any of our existing Asian equities funds.” The fund house’s Asia Pacific investment team is around 50-strong.
AsianInvestor could not ascertain what Gan would be doing next. A source said she had left the industry.
BNPP AM HIRES ASIAN EQUITIES TRIO FROM LOMBARD ODIER
BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM) has poached a trio from Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM) for its Asian equities team in Hong Kong, effective October 8.
Chen Zhikai becomes head of Asian equities, reporting to Guy Davies, London-based global chief investment officer for fundamental active equities. He replaces Arthur Kwong, who is leaving BNPP AM to pursue other opportunities.
The French fund house has also hired Jinwen Ouyang as portfolio manager and Roxy Wong as senior portfolio manager, colleagues of Chen's at LOIM. Both report to Chen.
These two roles were created to help strengthen BNPP AM's Asian equities strategies, and the firm will continue to seek talent to build up the team where appropriate, a spokesman said.
Chen was previously the Hong Kong-based head of Asia ex-Japan equities and senior portfolio manager for Asia at LOIM, a position he left on September 24. Ouyang was formerly a portfolio manager and Wong a senior portfolio manager.
LOIM is seeking replacements for the three departures, a spokesman for the firm said.
LYXOR LOSES JAPAN CEO TO AMUNDI
French fund house Amundi has hired Laurent Renaud, formerly Japan chief executive at Lyxor Asset Management, as deputy chief operating officer (COO) and head of operations for Japan.
He will report to Emmanuel Petit Jean, Japan COO, and replace Seiji Hayama, who will retire next month, a spokesman told AsianInvestor.
Renaud worked at Lyxor AM from September 2016 until July 2020 and was replaced by Stephane Roger on July 1.
Roger has been with the SG group since 2006, most recently working on global investment management solutions and engineering, according to his LinkedIn page. He has also worked as head of systematic multi-asset investment strategies at joint venture firm Fortune SG Asset Management (HK).
SOCGEN NAMES JAPAN HEAD OF LYXOR ETF
Societe Generale has appointed Hirosuke Uraoka as Japan head of Lyxor ETF, the exchange-traded funds brand of the French bank’s Lyxor Asset Management subsidiary, effective October 5.
This is a newly created sales role within SG Securities as a result of the business expansion plan for Japan, a spokesman told AsianInvestor. He declined to comment on how Lyxor ETF sales were dealt with previously in Japan.
Based in Tokyo, Uraoka reports to Naohisa Morita, head of asset management products at Societe Generale in Japan, and Christopher Friese, Hong Kong-based head of Lyxor ETF for Asia-Pacific.
Uraoka was previously a sales trader at Daiwa Securities for 13 years, where he focused on the firm’s Japanese and international ETF brokerage business in Japan, Hong Kong and London. Daiwa Securities declined to comment on his departure.
COLUMBIA THREADNEEDLE’S TIM JAGGER PASSES AWAY
Tim Jagger, London-based head of emerging market debt at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, passed away suddenly on October 2.
“Tim was a much-valued leader, colleague and investor and will be missed by all his colleagues and friends at Columbia Threadneedle,” the firm said in a statement.
Jagger’s responsibilities have been assumed by senior members of the global emerging market debt team under the overall leadership of Gene Tannuzzo, deputy global head of fixed income, said Columbia Threadneedle in a statement.
Adrian Hilton, head of global rates and currencies, will become head of emerging market debt on an interim basis. He will co-manage the Columbia Threadneedle emerging market debt funds alongside current deputy manager Chris Cooke on an interim basis.
Jagger had joined Columbia Threadneedle in January 2017 in Singapore before relocating to London in 2018, after some eight years in Asia.
He had spent four years at Aviva Investors in Singapore as head of Asia high yield credit. He also spent more than a decade at UK bank RBS, most recently as head of credit strategy for Asia Pacific.
CAPITAL GROUP NAMES MARKETING HEAD FOR ASIA AND EUROPE
US fund house Capital Group has named James Cardew as London-based head of marketing and client experience for Asia and Europe. He started earlier this month, according to a spokeswoman.
The role has been created to strengthen Capital Group’s Asia and Europe presence, a spokesman told AsianInvestor. The function was previously overseen by senior executives across Asia and Europe.
Cardew reports to Guy Henriques, London-based head of client group for Asia and Europe, and Jaya Kumar, Los Angeles-based global chief marketing officer.
Cardew joins from Schroders Personal Wealth, where he was chief marketing officer. Prior to that, he also worked for rivals Mercury Asset Management and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers.
Schroders did not respond to emailed questions about who was covering Cardew's former responsibilities.
BNP PARIBAS SECURITIES SERVICES ADDS HEAD OF INVESTMENT ANALYTICS
BNP Paribas Securities Services has promoted Remi Toucheboeuf to global head of investment analytics, a newly created role covering performance reporting, risk analytics and ESG.
He started the new role in August and reports to Arnaud Claudon, global head of asset owner and asset manager coverage. Both are based in Paris. BNP Paribas Securities Services did not respond to emailed questions on why it had added this new position.
Toucheboeuf had previously been Asia Pacific head of products, investments and fund services at BNP Paribas Securities Services, having joined the firm in 2002.
The responsibilities of his previous role have been split among several senior managers, who are now under the leadership of Philippe Tassin, head of asset owner and asset manager coverage for Asia Pacific.
Toucheboeuf had worked for PwC and Eurogroup Consulting before moving to BNP Paribas Securities Services.
BANK OF EAST ASIA NAMES HEAD OF INVESTMENT PRODUCTS
Hong Kong-based Bank of East Asia has appointed Jaye Chiu as head of investment products and advisory.
Chiu came on board on July 27 and assumed the role on October 1, a company spokesman said. He replaces Alfred Mak, who will retire towards the end of this month, and reports to Jessica Ng, Hong Kong-based acting head of wealth managment.
Chiu was previously the Hong Kong-based Asia head of investment management at Canada's BMO Private Bank, according to his LinkedIn profile. BMO declined to comment on whether it would replace him.
This blurb has been updated to reflect Chiu's predecessor and reporting line.
VONTOBEL AM NAMES HEAD OF FIXED INCOME BOUTIQUE
Vontobel Asset Management has appointed Simon Lue-Fong as head of its fixed income boutique on October 1, replacing Hervé Hanoune, who is now deputy head.
Lue-Fong reports to Axel Schwarzer, head of asset management and investments. Both are based in Zurich, but Lue-Fong's role is a global remit and the fixed income products are offered worldwide.
This move will allow Hanoune to focus fully on running the firm's flexible bond strategies.Hanoune isi now Zurich-based head of global flexible bonds while being deputy of Lue-Fong.
Lue-Fong had been London-based head of emerging debt at rival Swiss firm Pictet Asset Management until May 2018. Mary-Therese Barton succeeded him in that role, a Pictet spokeswoman said.
Vontobel AM delcined to comment on what Lue-Fong did in the two years before he joined Vontobel AM.