Weekly roundup of job-hoppers, Mar 15
Bosera appoints David Zhang as deputy CEO
David Zhang has been named deputy chief executive at Bosera International following the untimely death of CEO Keith Li on March 11 from a brain haemorrhage at the age of 41.
Since 2010, Li had headed the Hong Kong subsidiary of Bosera, one of the biggest Chinese asset managers with AUM of $36 billion. Before joining Bosera, Li was head of business development at US fund house Invesco.
The deputy CEO role is a newly created one that sees Zhang move to Hong Kong from the parent company's headquarters in Shenzhen. He was previously deputy director and portfolio manager in the fixed income department.
Zhang previously worked in the US and held various investment positions at Deutsche Asset Management, Citi Alternative Investment and Pimco.
BNP Paribas names trio for new real estate subsidiary
BNP Paribas Real Estate has launched new platforms in Hong Kong and Singapore with a view to attracting Asian investment into European property. It has made three senior appointments in the process.
Mark Kumarasinhe started in January as managing director for North Asia in Hong Kong, reporting to Paul Yang, CEO for Hong Kong at BNP Paribas. Kumarasinhe joined from CBRE Capital Advisors where he was head of Asia. CBRE declined to comment whether a replacement has been found.
Mathieu Brummer will take up the position of deputy head in Hong Kong, reporting to Kumarasinhe. He was promoted from the bank’s Frankfurt office where he was international investment director. Before that, he was at Morgan Stanley Real Estate.
Finally, Yo-Hann Tan joins as managing director for South Asia in Singapore. He arrives from Singapore-based investment firm Richard Chandler Corporation, where he was senior vice president. Tan reports locally to Jean-Pierre Bernard, Singapore CEO and head of Southeast Asia. Richard Chandler Corp declined to comment on whether a replacement has been or will be named.
Asian buyers have been piling into central London property of late. For example, Hong Kongers and Singaporeans collectively accounted for more than 30% of investments in new central London developments in 2012, according to property firm Jones LaSalle.
And in July, Malaysia’s Employees Provident Fund acquired London’s Battersea Power Station for £400 million ($605 billion) (see also the September 2012 issue of AsianInvestor magazine).
AMP Capital adds to equity team in Hong Kong
Fund manager AMP Capital has appointed Andy Peng to the newly created role of portfolio manager and analyst in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong-based Peng began in his role on March 8 and covers the telecoms, utilities and healthcare sectors across Asia, as well as consumer discretionary in Asia ex-Greater China. He reports to Jonathan Reoch, head of Asia ex-Greater China.
Peng joins from hedge fund Ward Ferry Management in Hong Kong and prior to that was at Goldman Sachs Capital Partners in San Francisco as an analyst focusing on technology startups.
Peng’s appointment brings the Asian equities team up to six. His hire follows the group’s decision to move its Asian equity operations from Sydney and Hong Kong, including the pan-Asia and A-share equity teams, as well as the hiring of a BNP Paribas trio last year, as reported.
Manulife appoints new Asia marketing chief
Canadian insurer Manulife has promoted Philip Hampden-Smith to the newly created role of chief marketing officer for Asia, effective February.
Based in Singapore, Hampden-Smith will overlook agency development, channel development, communications and branding, wealth management and product strategy for the group’s operations in 11 territories across the region. He reports to Robert Cook, Manulife’s Asia chief executive.
Hampden-Smith was most recently the group’s general manager for Southeast Asia, a position he took up in 2006, having joined the group as Hong Kong CEO of investment operations in 1996.
Manulife Asia has operations in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
State Super Financial Services names new CFO
Sydney-based State Super Financial Services has named Tim Elliott as chief financial officer, effective in April.
He joins from infrastructure specialist investor CP2, where he was also CFO. Bob Nagel has succeeded him at CP2.
Elliott replaces Peter Brook, who started in October and was under a contract role replacing incumbent CFO John Clark.
SSFS is a financial services business that provides financial planning and superannuation products and has $11 billion in funds under advice and 52,000 clients.
Other people moves reported on AsianInvestor.net this week:
Olympus Capital Asia enters structured credit
Reports of CSRC head's exit spark concerns
ABN Amro Private Banking names North Asia head