Weekly roundup of people news, July 14
DWS’ APAC CIO LEAVES
Sean Patrick Taylor, Asia Pacific chief investment officer at DWS, has left the asset manager, AsianInvestor can reveal.
A company spokesperson said Taylor decided to leave DWS to take on new challenge outside the firm. “His last day with the firm is June 30 2023,” the spokesperson said.
Taylor joined DWS in 2013 in London as head of emerging markets. He moved to Hong Kong in 2015 after being appointed Asia Pacific CIO.
AsianInvestor understands that there will be no replacement for his role and Taylor’s APAC CIO responsibilities will be covered by global CIO Bjoern Jesch.
KKR APPOINTS NEW ASIA-PACIFIC IMPACT HEAD
KKR has appointed George Aitken as its head of global impact for Asia-Pacific.
Aitken, who has already transitioned into the role, has been a member of KKR’s private equity team since 2014.
He replaces Chee-Wei Wong, who is understood to have left KKR and is planning to relocate to New York.
Before joining KKR, Aitken was an associate and subsequently a director at a multi-family office in Sydney, where he managed principal investments across a range of sectors including agriculture, carbon, technology, natural resources and infrastructure.
WELLINGTON APAC TEAM CHANGES
Wellington Management’s head of Asia-Pacific client group Scott Geary was promoted to global head of client group, effective in July, the firm told AsianInvestor.
In this global role, Geary drives the firm’s new business development, relationship management, and client servicing efforts.
He has relocated to Boston from Hong Kong and will continue to travel globally to engage with clients.
Geary has nearly 30 years of experience in the financial industry. He joined Wellington in 2009.
His previous role as head of client group, Asia Pacific, was taken over by Elizabeth Chisholm, based in Sydney, Australia.
Before this, Chisholm was associate director, client group, Asia Pacific. She joined the firm in 2004.
Meanwhile, Wellington’s Hong Kong-based insurance strategist Max Davies left the firm in June.
His responsibilities are covered by Tim Antonelli, head of multi-asset strategy – insurance, and other members of the firm’s financial reserves team, which supports the firm’s insurance clients globally.
Davies was with Wellington for eight years in several insurance relationship roles.
He relocated from London to Hong Kong in late 2020 to look after the firm’s insurance business across Asia.
Herman Chan has joined credit specialist Muzinich & Co. as director, marketing and client relations, focusing on institutional sales in Hong Kong, Singapore and Southeast Asia.
Chan has relocated to Singapore from Hong Kong for the new role, a spokesperson for Muzinich confirmed.
He was previously with Natxis Investment Managers Hong Kong as director, institutional sales – Greater China and head of institutional sales for Hong Kong and Macau.
Chan has also worked withPinebridge Investments Asia, HSBC, UBS, PwC and KPMG.
Natixis IM did not respond to AsianInvestor enquries on when Chan left and whether a replacement has been named at the time of publication.
AXA IM EMERGING ASIA ECONOMIST DEPARTS
Hong Kong-based emerging Asia economist Shirley Shen has stepped down from AXA Investment Managers, the company confirmed to AsianInvestor.
AXA IM did not respond to queries on whether a replacement has been named or who has taken over Shen’s responsibilities at the time of publication.
Shen joined AXA IM in January 2017, according to her LinkedIn profile.
JUPITER AM NAMES HONG KONG SALES DIRECTOR
Jupiter Asset Management appointed Cody Law as sales director for Hong Kong, effective July 11.
Law replaces Karen Cheng, who was promoted to head of sales for North Asia earlier this year, and to whom he now reports.
He is responsible for strengthening Jupiter’s relationships with retail banks in Hong Kong and supporting the expansion of its sales and distribution network across North Asia.
Law has more than two decades of experience in the investment management industry, having worked at several retail banks and fund houses in Hong Kong.
Before joining Jupiter, he was director for financial intermediaries at Janus Henderson Investors, where he cultivated wholesale channel partnerships and managed client relationships in Hong Kong.
He has also previously worked at HSBC and Citibank.
ESR Group has appointed Josh Daitch as group chief investment officer (CIO) and Matthew Lawson as group chief operating officer (CEO), effective July 11.
In his new role, Daitch will oversee fund management, capital raising, research and analytics and new product creation.
Daitch, who joined ESR in 2018, was previously group head of capital and new economy fund management.
He previously held leadership roles across the private equity and real estate divisions in financial institutions, including Mesirow Financial, and the Archon Group, Goldman Sachs’ real estate management subsidiary.
Lawson is currently chief financial officer at ESR Australia.
Prior to joining ESR in 2020, he was CFO of Hongkong & Shanghai Hotels Limited, a leading hotel owner and operator under The Peninsula hotel brand. He has also worked with JPMorgan based in Hong Kong.
ESR did not respond to AsianInvestor queries on who were group COO and CIO before the new announcements or who take over Daitch and Lawson's previous roles.
ESR is the third largest listed real estate investment manager globally and has about $150 billion in total assets under management.
CBC GROUP MAKES SENIOR PE APPOINTMENT
CBC Group, a healthcare-dedicated investment firm headquartered in Singapore, appointed Billy Cho as senior managing director, private equity and co-head, joint value creation.
Based in Hong Kong, Cho also joins CBC’s management committee to provide guidance on the firm’s private equity investments, as well as portfolio management activities as part of the joint value creation team.
The team works closely with portfolio companies to create sustainable value through incubation, operational improvement, and company transformation.
As a member of the firm’s management committee, he reports to Fu Wei, chief executive officer of CBC Group.
Cho joins CBC with over 20 years of experience across the US and Asia.
He was most recently chief financial officer at Zai Lab for over five years, a global biopharmaceutical company.
HKEX MAKES SENIOR APPOINTMENTS FOR MAINLAND CHINA DEVELOPMENT
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) named Zhou Jiannan as managing director and head of mainland development.
He becomes a member of the Group’s management committee and will join HKEX on July 18.
Zhou succeeds Mao Zhirong, who will take on a newly created role as strategic advisor, Greater Bay Area and China commodities after 10 years leading the group’s mainland development team.
They will both report to HKEX co-chief operating officer Bonnie Chan.
In his new role, Zhou will lead HKEX’s engagement with key mainland China regulators and partners, supporting the group’s ongoing strategy to connect China and the world.
Zhou is a veteran with leadership experience in China’s mutual fund and regulatory space.
He joins HKEX from Jiahe Asset Management in Shanghai, where he was chairman until March.
Previously, he served as chief executive officer at Everbright Securities and Dacheng Asset Management respectively. He also held several roles at the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
Tokio Marine Life Insurance Singapore has appointed Soh Yeow Liang as its new head of strategic partnership.
Soh commenced in the role, which is newly created, on July 3.
He reports to Chief Executive Christopher Teo and will spearhead efforts to increase market share in the financial advisory, bancassurance and affinity spaces.
Soh was previously senior vice president of business development at trust company Metis Global (Singapore), and prior to that head of sales and distribution at insurer Transamerica Life Bermuda.
ALLIANZ HIRES NEW ASIA COMMERCIAL CHIEF IN SINGAPORE
Germany-headquartered insurer Allianz has appointed Christian Sandric as Allianz Commercial’s commercial managing director for Asia.
Sandric will start his new role on September 1, subject to regulatory approval.
His reporting line had not been confirmed as of press time.
He will remain based in Singapore, where he currently serves as president and chief executive at AIG Singapore and regional manager for Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Sandric has spent 24 years at AIG.
He replaces Mark Mitchell, the current regional managing director for Asia at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, who will remain in his role until Sandric joins, and then step down to pursue opportunities outside Allianz Group.
INDONESIA'S OJK GETS NEW COMMISSIONERS
Indonesia’s House of Representatives has chosen former senior central bank official Agusman, who goes by a single name, and former Indonesian Stock Exchange director Hasan Fawzi to fill posts as commissioners at the Financial Services Authority, or OJK.
If their nominations are approved by the country’s president, they will serve during the 2023-28 term.
Agusman has been picked to serve as executive director of the OJK’s supervisory board for financing, venture capital and micro-finance.
Hasan Fawzi is set to head up the regulator’s supervisory board for finance sector innovation, digital finance and crypto assets.
NEW APAC CHAIR FOR STANDARDS BOARD FOR ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS
Richard Johnston, partner at Albourne Partners, was appointed as the new chair of the Standards Board for Alternative Investments (SBAI) APAC committee.
Johnston will lead the SBAI’s activities and initiatives in APAC.
He succeeds Ted Lee, the previous chair.
The SBAI APAC Committee is equally split across asset owners and managers.
SBAI also has expanded its Asia Pacific team by adding Annie Yang as APAC co-head to work alongside Tina Hu who has been involved with the SBAI since 2021.
The SBAI is an active alliance of over 150 alternative asset managers and over 100 institutional investors.
CBRE has promoted Hugh Hamilton to managing director, head of accounts and Hugh Little to head of accounts operations for the firm’s Advisory & Transactions Services team in Asia Pacific.
Hamilton will relocate to Hong Kong to lead CBRE's accounts business. He has been with the firm for almost ten years and most recently the managing director of its global workplace solutions business, based in Singapore.
Little will be based in Singapore and will oversee the operations of CBRE's Accounts business in Asia Pacific. He will report to Hamilton.
He has been with the firm for over 15 years and was instrumental in reorganising CBRE's transaction management business in Southeast Asia.
Most recently he held the role of head of transaction management for Southeast Asia.