Manulife names new Asia CIO
Manulife promoted Calvin Yip to chief investment officer for Asia, succeeding Gerald Posthuma, who left the Canadian life insurer after 20 years.
Yip, previously deputy CIO for Asia, assumed his new role on June 30, a spokesperson confirmed to AsianInvestor.
Based in Hong Kong, he will be leading Manulife’s efforts to implement insurance-driven investment strategies in Asia.
Yip joined Manulife in 2016 as head of corporate finance, Asia. He added deputy CIO responsibilities in November 2023, concurrent with his prior position.
With over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, Yip formerly held a corporate credit management leadership role at Royal Bank of Scotland and a stint in Credit Suisse's credit risk management team.
His predecessor Posthuma announced his departure last week after a 20-year tenure at Manulife. He had led the insurer’s Asia general account investments from Hong Kong since January 2019.
"I’ve thoroughly enjoyed a rewarding 20-year career with Manulife and am very proud of what we achieved for the Asia business," Posthuma told AsianInvestor.
"I look forward to continuing my career here in Asia and spending some catch-up time with my family," he said.
LEADERSHIP TRANSITION
Posthuma joined Manulife’s corporate risk management team in Toronto in 2004 and spent over 10 years with the asset liability management (ALM) team. Before relocating to Hong Kong as Asia CIO, he was Manulife’s global ALM head.
Prior to Manulife, he was with ABN AMRO and a Canadian energy company.
Manulife Asia's portfolio spans fixed income, equities and a diverse range of alternative asset classes on a global scale.
The leadership transition coincides with the Hong Kong Insurance Authority officially implemented the risk-based capital (RBC) regime on July 1, marking a significant industry milestone.
Under RBC rules, insurers must strengthen ALM and risk oversight of investment portfolios to balance regulatory requirements and returns.
Regional peer AXA Hong Kong and Macau also appointed a new CIO internally on July 1. It promoted Torsten Blake-Bohm, a "home-grown" talent from its ALM team.