MSCI poaches from Credit Suisse, Pimco

May 23, 2013

The group has made two new hires – one for its index business and one on the analytics side – to strengthen its Asia operations.

Index and analytics/software provider MSCI has expanded its team in Hong Kong and Singapore by luring Rene Veerman from Credit Suisse and Quah Chum-Yong from US asset manager Pimco.

Veerman is on gardening leave and is due to start shortly in a newly created role as managing director and head of portfolio analytics for Asia based in Hong Kong. Quah relocated from Hong Kong to Singapore earlier this month as vice-president of Southeast Asia client coverage for MSCI’s index business.

It is understood that Veerman's role at Credit Suisse has been filled internally, though the bank declined to comment. Quah left his role as vice-president in Pimco's Asia ex-Japan wealth management group on May 10 and he will be replaced in due course.

MSCI has also been making substantial investments in Beijing in software engineering to support its risk management offering. Mo Shen, previously a director with software firm Oracle in Suzhou, China, joined MSCI in January as head of applications development and head of the Beijing office.

These hires follow moves last year by the firm to open an office in Korea and make several major changes to MSCI’s Asia-Pacific management team.

Chris Ryan joined from Australian fund house Perpetual to replace Deborah Yang, who now heads MSCI's index business in Europe; Theodore Niggli relocated to Shanghai from the UK as Asia-Pacific head of the index business; and Raj Manghani moved to Singapore from the US to manage MSCI’s risk management analytics business across Asia-Pacific.

Veerman has been with Credit Suisse since 1999 across Hong Kong, London and the Netherlands. He was most recently managing director for securities research and analytics in the investment solutions department. The role involved advising on investible indices and systematic strategies, among other duties.

Before that he spent six years as managing director in various equity divisions in Asia, London and Switzerland.

Veerman has also worked on asset-liability modelling at Achmean Asset Management and as a quantitative analyst at PGGM Investments, both in the Netherlands.

Quah had covered wealth management sales at Pimco in Hong Kong since January last year. Before that he was director of wholesale and head of Singapore at alternative investment firm Aquila Capital for four months from its opening in October 2011.

He has also worked as Singapore-based head of private banking and Southeast Asia development at Fidelity Worldwide Investment for over three years.