Weekly roundup of people news, March 18
BMO Global AM appoints institutional sales head
Canada's BMO Global Asset Management appointed Jonathan Goll as director of institutional business for the Asia-Pacific region early this month.
He is based in Sydney and reports to Ravi Sriskandarajah, Hong Kong-based Asia-Paific head of BMO Global AM. Goll's position is newly created, making him responsible for institutional sales in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.
Institutional markets in Australia and New Zealand previously fell under Sriskandarajah's remit as head of Australia before he took over the regional role in December. Coverage of the Southeast Asia market had been run out of Hong Kong. The decision to combine the two remits would take advantage of Goll's "background and experience", a BMO Global spokesman said.
Goll previously worked for Boston-based fund house GMO as a senior client relationship manager, spending 11 years in Singapore before moving to the firm's Berkeley, California office in March last year to cover medical leave for a senior partner. He left the company in September, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He has previously worked for Schroders, rating agency Standard & Poor's and investment consultancy Towers Perrin.
WMA poaches from UBP for new CIO
The former Asia head of investment services at Union Bancaire Privée, Ron Lee, has joined external asset manager Wealth Management Alliance in Singapore.
He started as chief investment officer at WMA on January 18 and looks after the investment services and advisory business.
Lee left UBP earlier this year after spending four years at the firm. He joins a number of executives to have exited the Swiss firm since it agreed to buy UK private bank Coutts' international business early last year.
WMA was founded in July 2015 by Stephan Repkow, who was UBP’s Asia CEO of private banking from 2011 to 2015.
Manulife splits distribution and marketing roles
Manulife has split the roles of chief marketing officer and chief distribution officer for Asia, a move the insurer said would help it capture growth opportunities.
Jason Dehni, who previously held both roles, will serve as chief distribution officer, while Francesco Lagutaine joins as chief marketing and experience design officer.
Both are based in Hong Kong and report to Roy Gori, president and chief executive of Manulife Asia. The appointments will take effect on April 1.
Lagutaine joins Manulife from Citibank in New York, where he was global head of client and design. He previously served as Citibank's head of customer franchise in Asia Pacific.
Dehi had held the dual role since February 2015, according to his LinkedIn profile. He joined Manulife as senior vice-president of its global strategy group in Toronto in 2012.
PE firm Everstone adds executive director in India
Singapore-based private equity firm Everstone has hired Rajesh Mehta from UK asset manager Ashmore as an executive director in its private equity team.
The $3.3 billion group said it was reinforcing its private equity team for future investments in the country.
The firm completed fundraising for its latest strategy, Everstone Capital Partners III, at $730 million in September last year.
Mehta worked at Ashmore for eight years, managing and advising the India portfolio for private equity and corporate debt. He has also worked with companies including Indian conglomerate Tata Sons, HSBC and KPMG in various roles.
Ashmore declined to comment on Mehta’s departure.
Mirae Asset moves ETF exec to HK
Korea’s Mirae Asset has relocated Kim Jin to Hong Kong from Seoul as senior ETF portfolio manager.
Kim has experience of managing a range of ETFs, including commodity, leveraged and inverse products and will not replace anyone in Hong Kong. He joined Mirae Asset in 2010.
Rhee Jung-Ho, president and CEO of Mirae Asset Global Investments, was considering approving more ETF products, presumably referring to the regulator’s plans to allow the first inverse and leveraged products in the coming months. Such instruments are very popular in Korea.
Kim reports to Cho Wanyoun, chief operating officer at Mirae Asset Global Invesments (HK) and Carmen Cheung, head of ETFs at Mirae Asset Global Investments (HK).
Vontobel WM adds to Hong Kong team
Vontobel Wealth Management has appointed Christine Chen as a senior relationship manager, based in Hong Kong.
Chen, who joined from Taiwan's CTBC Bank in Hong Kong, took up her role on March 14 and reports to Alex Fung, Asia-Pacific CEO of Vontobel WM.
The Swiss firm said Chen's role was a new one, introduced as part of an expansion of its wealth management offering in the region, and was intended to strengthen the relationship management team.
At CTBC, Chen was an associate director responsible for high-net-worth clients in China and Taiwan. The bank declined to comment on Chen's departure or her replacement, citing internal policy.
Lumen Capital Advisors hires former UBP MD
Former UBP managing director Nadia Bathiche has reportedly joined Singapore-based wealth management firm Lumen Capital Advisors.
Lumen declined to confirm the hire, but according to her LinkedIn page, she joined Lumen in January as a partner and senior advisor. Bathiche left her post as a UBP managing director in Singapore in December last year.
Lumen was founded in 2010 by former Bank Julius Baer Singapore CEO Wilfried Kofmehl and two other bankers.
PGI expands Australian insitutional sales team
US asset manager Principal Global Investors has appointed Michael Gaffney as director of institutional sales for Australia based in Sydney.
He joined PGI, part of Principal Financial Group, on February 2 and reports to Grant Forster, chief executive of PGI Australia.
Gaffney is responsible for generating institutional sales and maintaining consultant relationships. The company said he was an addition to the institutional sales team and did not replace anyone.
He has 20 years of experience in the fund management industry, most recently with nabInvest, National Australia Bank's asset management division, where he was an investment specialist with the institutional distribution team.
Natixis AM names new CEO
Matthieu Duncan is to take over as CEO of Natixis Asset Management after the resignation of Pascal Voision last week.
Duncan's appointment to the Paris-based role will take effect on April 4. Until then, deputy CEO Jean Francois Baralon will serve as interim CEO. He reports to Pierre Servant, CEO of Natixis Global Asset Management, as will Duncan when he starts.
Natixis AM's products are marketed through Natixis Global AM's distribution platforms.
Duncan has worked in the financial industry in Paris and London since 1990, most recently as chief operating officer at Quilter Cheviot, a UK fund manager owned by Old Mutual. He left that position in May 2015.
Natixis AM declined to comment on Voison's departure. AsianInvestor could not ascertain his next move.
Other people news reported on AsianInvestor.net in the past week:
Fullerton on multi-asset, China buildout
Abraaj targets $850m for energy fund, hires team
HK SFC fines Unicorn Securities, bans ex-China Merchants exec