Weekly roundup of people news, July 24
AMERICAN CENTURY TO REPLACE KOREA SALES HEAD
American Century Investments is set to bring on board Kim Jun Ku to oversee institutional sales for Korea, replacing Cho Jihyun, who left the US asset manager in June, a well-placed source told AsianInvestor.
Kim’s most recent role was senior director for institutional sales at Manulife Investment Management in Hong Kong, the source added. His licence with the Canadian firm ended in June last year, according to records of Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission. AsianInvestor could not ascertain what he has been doing since then.
American Century declined to confirm or comment on the hire.
Cho will join investment consultancy Willis Towers Watson in September as an investment director, reporting to Jayne Bok, head of Asia investments.
JP MORGAN AM ADDS JAPAN INVESTMENT STEWARDSHIP HEAD
JP Morgan Asset Management has hired Shizuko Ohmi from French fund house Amundi as head of investment stewardship for Japan.
Ohmi replaces Akiko Emori, whose corporate governance-related responsibilities will pass to Ohmi, will concentrate on acting as an investment director, a spokeswoman for JP Morgan AM told AsianInvestor.
Ohmi took up the Tokyo-based role on July 1 in the global sustainable investing team, which incorporates 15 dedicated specialists globally. It is led by Jennifer Wu, global head of sustainable investing, to whom Ohmi reports.
Before joining JP Morgan AM, Ohmi worked at Amundi in Japan for almost 17 years and had been the head of its ESG department there since it was created in 2015.
SCHRODERS REPLACES GLOBAL HEAD OF REAL ESTATE
Schroders has poached Sophie van Oosterom from CBRE Global Investors as its new global head of real estate with a view to accelerating the development of its property business.
She will join the UK asset manager in January 2021, replacing Duncan Owen, who will step down with effect from December 31 after almost nine years at Schroders.
Schroder Real Estate has €19.2 billion ($22.3 billion) under management, representing more than a third of Schroders’ £44.2 billion ($56.4 billion) private assets business.
At CBRE Global Investors, van Oosterom was chief executive and chief investment officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Before that she was European head of asset management of the Lehman Brothers Real Estate Partners private equity funds (now Silverpeak Real Estate Partners). Van Oosterom began her real estate and finance career in 1996.
Following van Oosterom’s departure from CBRE, her role has been split. On July 16 Rik Eertink was promoted to president of real estate for Emea and Paul Gibson to CIO for Emea direct real estate strategies.
London-based Gibson was previously Emea head of investment strategy. Amsterdam-based Eertink was previously head of retail for the Netherlands and manager of the Dutch retail fund and the European shopping centre Fund series. He has assumed responsibility for all operator functions in his new role.
MORNINGSTAR NAMES DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY RESEARCH FOR EMEA, APAC
Morningstar has promoted Hortense Bioy to the newly created role of director of sustainability research for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (Emea) and Asia Pacific, effective July 23.
The fund research firm said the new role reflected its continued investment in growing its environmental, social and governance (ESG) manager research, including its just-completed acquisition of ESG research and ratings firm Sustainalytics.
Bioy was most recently Morningstar's director of passive strategies and sustainability research for Europe. The firm has started a search to replace her.
Based in London, she is now responsible for driving sustainable research across Emea and Asia Pacific and reports to Jeffrey Ptak, head of manager research.
Bioy joined Morningstar in 2010 from Bloomberg, where she was a financial journalist. She began her career as an M&A analyst at Société Générale in Hong Kong.
MANULIFE RINGS CHANGES IN HONG KONG
Canadian insurer Manulife has internally transferred Anthony Buchanan, Carrie Tong and Donna Kirmani to the roles of chief information officer, chief strategy officer and chief human resources officer for its Hong Kong business, respectively.
Edgar Chan has been promoted to chief operations officer of Manulife Hong Kong from assistant vice president, experience owner of search and buy. A spokeswoman did not explain what this role comprised.
Tong assumed the newly created role of chief strategy officer in June, while Buchanan and Kirmani took up their posts this month as replacement appointments, said the spokeswoman. She did not provide the names of their predecessors.
Buchanan was previously Asia head of operations and IT performance at Manulife; Tong was formerly head of Asia strategy, and Kirmani was Asia segment office human resources business partner.
FSDC APPOINTS FORMER VALUE PARTNERS CHIEF
The Hong Kong Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) has appointed Au King-Lun as executive director of the FSDC for a three-year term, effective August 4.
FSDC did not respond to a query about whether Au replaced anyone.
He was previously president of Hong Kong fund house Value Partners, but left recently and his last official day there will be in August. The firm has undergone a period of upheaval in the past few years.
RAFFLES FAMILY OFFICE HIRES SENIOR RM FROM UOB
Djayaputra reports to Singapore-based managing partner Kendrick Lee.
The firm’s spokesman said the senior role had been created to expand the relationship management team.
Djayaputra was previously first vice president at Singapore bank UOB, which declined to comment on her departure.
Other people news reported by AsianInvestor in the past week:
BNP Paribas AM replaces Asia chief Ligia Torres