Nomura appoints new asset management MD in Singapore

Suzuki has been with Nomura since 1975 spending the last two years with subsidiary, Axa Rosenberg Investment Management in Tokyo. His new role covers both investment activities, Asia ex-Japan including Australia, and marketing for Southeast Asia and Australia. This appointment is the second service for Suzuki in Singapore as he headed up the investment trust arm of Nomura for several years until August 1998.

Suzuki succeeds Yoshimitsu Matsuki who has been appointed head of Nomura Asset Management in London. Suzuki commented on his goals for the next twelve months to PensionsAsia emphasizing his desire to diversify assets both sourced and managed from Singapore.

The global assets of the group at $138 billion are still 75% sourced from Japanese retail clients. Suzuki aims to grow the $2.1 billion managed in Singapore from European and US Institutional clients as well as Japanese investors.

He also aims to increase sales of fixed-income products, for example US high yield bonds, to the Asian client base leveraging off the global expertise in London and Tokyo. He plans to introduce more global products in both bonds and equities. There are no plans currently to diversify into alternative investments.

The marketing of new products will focus on existing institutional clients in Singapore and Malaysia and penetration of the Australian market. Nomura has just won the PensionsAsia achievement award for Singapore equities, five-year, risk-adjusted performance.