Credit Suisse overhaul sparks further moves
The restructuring of Credit Suisse’s asset management unit has led to further staff moves in Asia, namely the departure of its head of emerging market strategy and changes to the role of its China head and potentially also its Korea salesman.
Bin Han, head of China sales at CSAM, has been named a director in the private funds group, which raises capital for top-tier third-party (non-Credit Suisse) private equity and real estate managers. It represents some of the biggest PE names, say sources, such as Blackstone and Carlyle Group. Han will continue to also cover the distribution of Credit Suisse's core and alternative investment products in China.
He started in the new position this month, reporting to Anthony Bowe, New York-based global co-head of the private funds group. Han is well connected with sovereign wealth funds and other large institutional investors in China, so he is a “natural” for this role, notes one recruiter.
Before joining Credit Suisse, Han was head of institutional sales for China at Fidelity Worldwide Investment for nearly four-and-a-half years. Prior to that, he spent four years from January 2004 at investment consultancy Morningstar as head of the China market. He has also worked for Shenzhen Securities Information Co.
In Korea, JH Chey had been the last dedicated CSAM executive, and the bank is said to be considering how best to accommodate his expertise, as is the case for other staff in the newly integrated wealth management division.
Chey, a vice-president, is well respected, say sources. He had been the number-two salesman after Chu Seok-Don, who left in June to join Carlyle in Hong Kong as a managing director for investor relations. Chu had run institutional distribution and client coverage for Korea at Credit Suisse for four years across Hong Kong and Seoul.
Meanwhile, Bunt Ghosh retired in mid-December from his role as the bank's head of emerging-market strategy for asset management and vice-chairman of fixed income for Asia-Pacific. He will not be replaced in the AM role, and was one of several vice-chairmen of fixed income.
Ghosh relocated from London to Hong Kong in January 2010 to take up the vice-chairman post, in which he was responsible for senior client relationships and providing strategic input for the development of the fixed income department in Asia. He assumed the additional AM role in 2011.
From 1998, Ghosh had been head of EM research and strategy before assuming the role of global head of fixed income research in 2002. He had been with the Swiss bank since 1986, apart from a period between 1994 and 1998. Before rejoining, he held several academic roles and served as a member of the central policy group at the UK’s Financial Services Authority.
These moves came after Credit Suisse’s decision late last year to fold its asset management division into its wealth business. The bank declined to comment on any of the changes.
Neil Harvey, former Asia-Pacific head of asset management, was last week appointed co-CEO for Greater China at the bank alongside Liping Zhang, as reported.
Executives that have left the firm recently include: Will Britten, head of Australia and head of distribution for Asia-Pacific; Chris Faddy, head of Asia ex-Japan distribution; and Stuart Guinness, Asia head of emerging market products.