Schroders sees MD and investment head turnover

Jun 17, 2002

Tina So is moving to the SFC while Rigby takes a breather.

The regional managing director and the Asia head of investment at Schroder Investment Management are leaving their posts, to be replaced by internal moves.

Simon Rigby has been managing director for three years and will leave in mid-July. Meanwhile Tina So, head of investment, has just left and will assume June Wong's old job as head of product supervision at the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong.

Rigby has been with the firm for 11 years, three of them as MD in Hong Kong. He says he has no definite plans, but will take time off to speak with Schroder's top management in London about possible roles within the firm. "I hope to stay in Hong Kong and see what comes up," he says, adding he has been in discussions with the firm about his moving on for some time. "It is hard to make a decision while buried in the details of running the business."

Assuming his role will be Nicky Richards, who has been MD of the Australia business. "She knows Asia quite well," Rigby says. "She was based in Singapore in the early 1990s and has been a member of the Asia Pacific executive committee for the past two years." She starts 22 July.

One difference, however, will be that while China, Taiwan and Korea reported in to Rigby, who then reported to the regional head David Gibson in Singapore, this time Richards will have responsibility only for Hong Kong and Taiwan, putting her role on par of that with the other North Asia offices.

Tina So left Schroders last week, and will assume her role at the SFC also in mid-July. Wong had to retire for personal reasons, leaving a hole that the regulator had to quickly fill. So will now have responsibility for overseeing all the SFC case officers covering the fund management community. She did not return calls.

Filling her shoes is Robin Parbrook, currently deputy CIO for Asia ex-Japan in Singapore. For Parbrook the job is a return to Hong Kong, where he worked for Schroders from 1992 to 1998.

Elisabeth Scott, who has been in Hong Kong with Schroders since 1992, has also been appointed product manager for Hong Kong balanced funds, and will also chair the Hong Kong asset allocation committee.