Aviva Investors poaches SG's Asia CEO

London-based Aviva Investors set out an ambitious stall this month by announcing plans to double its investment staff headcount, as well as the hire of MFC Global Investment Management's Tahnoon Pasha. Of course, it'll need staff to market and sell the products the team manufactures -- which is where Carolyn Lu comes in.

The asset manager, part of UK insurance group Aviva, has poached Lu, most recently chief executive and regional head of business for Asia at Société Générale, to run regional business development out of Singapore.

Aviva Investors did not answer queries by press time as to whether this is a newly created role or a replacement hire, and French bank SG did not comment on who would replace Lu. 

Based in Singapore, Lu has 25 years' experience in the financial services sector. In addition to SG, Lu has also worked for Citi, Credit Suisse First Boston, Discount Corporation and New York Sumitomo Finance, across Hong Kong, London and New York, not necessarily in that order.

She will report to Erich Gerth, CEO of global business development in London, and work on a day-to-day basis with Craig Bingham, Asia-Pacific CEO, who is based in Australia.

Gerth says Lu's hire completes Aviva Investors' global business development leadership team, and says the business development structure is ready to target sovereign wealth and pension funds, financial institutions, as well as Aviva's own capital.