Newsmakers in June: Top 20 pension executives, KIC, Temasek, AIMCo
In June, AsianInvestor highlighted the individuals who stand out for helping drive the Asia Pacific pension industry forward by improving the investment processes, operations and accessibility of pension funds.
To pick our candidates, we spoke to several pension fund experts, investment consultants, custodians and senior executives at asset management companies. Our conversations threw up several names and the editorial team had to undertake its own research to whittle down the list the 20 individuals we decided to showcase for 2023.
This year, in addition to the pension funds headquartered in the region, we also included some international pension fund executive because of their strong influence in the region and the sophistication of the pension funds’ operations.
This list -- which is not ranked – was rolled out during June two individuals at the time. Links to each of the 10 articles can be found below this listing of other notable June stories.
The Bollywood star who launched a family office
Vivek Anand Oberoi, Bollywood actor and chair of Oberoi Family Office, which he started 9 years ago, divides his family investments into two camps: “steady and sexy”.
The steady 60% of his family’s wealth is invested via a range of funds and managers, mainly in equities, with a heavy weighting to India. The sexy portion – the remaining 40% – is Oberoi’s personal focus, to which he today devotes his working life when he is not acting.
KIC commits to 'all-weather' strategy in portfolio rejig
Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) plans to focus on stabilising its portfolio as it bets on continuing volatility in global markets.
The sovereign wealth fund last year introduced a new, so-called “strategy asset” platform with a focus on achieving stable, absolute returns, its chief investment officer, Lee Hoon, told delegates at the opening of AsianInvestor’s 15th Institutional Investment Forum Korea in Seoul on June 23.
“Unpredictability is the new norm,” Lee said on stage, explaining why KIC decided to act on this new paradigm.
“We recognized the importance of diversifying our portfolio to include this new asset class.”
Temasek ready to work with carbon-intensive businesses to transition
Singapore’s state-owned conglomerate Temasek said that climate risks – including partnering with carbon-intensive emitters - needs to be considered as part of the investment process to remain competitive over the long-term.
Dr Steve Howard, vice chairman of sustainability at Temasek told AsianInvestor that moving beyond climate-aligned opportunities would require potential exposure to transition risk for investors.
“Beyond investing in low carbon businesses, we are prepared to work with carbon-intensive businesses that commit to a clear transition plan for carbon reduction,” Howard said.
AIMCo's Singapore hire underlines Asia investing appeal
Alberta Investment Management Corporation’s (AIMCo) appointment of head of Singapore reinforces the city’s appeal as a springboard to invest in the rest of Asia for global pension and sovereign wealth funds, even as political tensions between Canada and China rise.
The Canadian pension fund announced it had appointed Kevin Bong as senior managing director, chief investment strategist and head of Singapore.
Bong will take on the role on August 14 and joins from Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, where he was director of the economics and investment strategy department and a global leadership group managing director.
AsianInvestor reveals the top 20 pension executives in Asia
The names were revealed based on alphabetical order of countries where the pension funds are based.
Lee Kyu-hong (Teachers’ Pension, Korea) and Seo Won-joo (National Pension Service, Korea)
Su Yu-ching (Bureau of Labor Funds, Taiwan) and Park Yoo-Kyung (APG Asset Management, Netherlands)