Weekly roundup of people news, June 21
GOLDMAN SACHS AM SEES INVESTMENT AND CLIENT EXECUTIVES EXIT
Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) saw some senior departures from its investment and sales teams in Hong Kong and Singapore in the past month or so.
Three of them were employees of NN Investment Partners (NNIP) before the Dutch fund house was acquired by GSAM in 2022.
Joep Huntjens, formerly Singapore-based head of the Asian fixed income team in the emerging market debt (EMD) at NNIP, moved on in early June.
Keith Davies, fixed income portfolio manager in the EMD hard-currency team, with a focus on Asia and the Middle East, has also left. He had also previously worked at NNIP.
In addition, Tuan Lam left the Hong Kong-based role of chairman of the client solutions group for Asia ex-Japan in May, after being head of client business for Asia Pacific ex-Japan since 2016.
Stuart Wrigley was appointed head of the client solutions group for Asia Pacific in Singapore in December 2023. Before that, he was Asia Pacific head of alternatives capital markets and strategy, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Lam previously oversaw the alternative investment and manager selection group in Asia at Goldman Sachs, and prior to that was co-head of DBS Private Equity.
There have also been two recent departures on the sales side.
Another ex-NNIP employee, Kelly Ng, stepped down as executive director on the retail sales team in Singapore.
Conrad Zhou also departed his role of vice president in the Greater China institutional sales team in Hong Kong. He had worked at GSAM since August 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile
AsianInvestor understands that Huntjens, Davies, Zhou and Ng were not directly replaced, with their responsibilities now shared among the rest of the team.
A spokesperson declined to comment on any of the moves.
HK-BASED SENIOR EXECUTIVE AT ONTARIO TEACHERS' EXITS
Kelvin Yu left his Hong Kong-based role as senior managing director of Teachers' Venture Growth Asia Pacific, AsianInvestor understands.
TVG is the venture investment arm of Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (Ontario Teachers').
AsianInvestor understands that three other investment-related staff in Hong Kong were also let go.
Yu joined the Canadian pension fund in October 2020. He was formerly with Fosun Group and was based in Shanghai.
Ontario Teachers' shuttered its China equities team in Hong Kong in April 2023.
PARTNERS GROUP OPENS HK OFFICE, NAMES HEAD
Partners Group appointed Henry Chui as head of its new Hong Kong office, in addition to his role as head of private wealth Asia Pacific, the firm announced on June 21 as it launched the Hong Kong office on the same day.
The opening of an office in Hong Kong represents Partners Group's seventh office in Asia. Other office locations include Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Mumbai.
Chui will manage a dedicated team focusing on the firm's client activities in Hong Kong and the Greater China Area and strengthening its existing network of client and investment partner relationships, with a focus on wealth clients.
In the new role, Chui reports to Christian Wicklein, global head of private wealth. He has relocated from Singapore to Hong Kong, and will spend his time between Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan, the firm told AsianInvestor.
Chui joined Partners Group in 2022 with a base in Singapore. Previously, he was with Nuveen and PIMCO to head their regional private wealth businesses.
TAL NAMES NEW GROUP CEO AND MANAGING DIRECTOR
Australian life insurance specialist TAL appointed Fiona Macgregor as their new group CEO and managing director, effective October 1.
Macgregor will continue to be based in Sydney and report TAL board chair Mark Joiner. She will succeed Brett Clark, who is transitioning to the role of CEO and managing director of Asia-Pacific for Japan's Dai-ichi Life Group.
Macgregor has been with TAL since 2014, most recently serving as chief executive of individual life where she is responsible for TAL's retail and direct-to-consumer businesses.
She previously held roles at the Royal Bank of Scotland and as consultancy for leading UK service brands.
A spokesperson told AsianInvestor that there has been no announcement on MacGregor’s replacement as yet, but the process is of naming a successor is well underway.
BRIDGEWATER PROMOTES CHINA HEAD JOANNA ALPERT
Bridgewater Associates promoted partner Joanna Alpert to head of total portfolio strategies, a new business unit that delivers innovative bespoke investment strategies for clients, according to its website.
In the new role, she partners with co-chief investment officer Karen Karniol-Tambour to drive business strategy and is responsible for designing, building, and overseeing the total portfolio strategies business.
She continues to be the general manager and portfolio manager for Bridgewater China Investment Management (BCIM), a role she took in 2022.
She will relocate from Shanghai to the US and report to Karniol-Tambour, according to Reuters, which first reported the news.
Prior to joining the firm’s China unit in 2018 as portfolio manager, Alpert was the co-founder and co-chief executive officer of BlueVirgo Capital Management. From 2005-2008, she was a senior investment associate at Bridgewater, where she held roles in research and client service.
Bridgewater didn’t respond to AsianInvestor’s enquiry on the appointment as of publication.
CBUS SUPER HIRES NEW CHIEF RISK OFFICER
Cbus Super appointed Martha Georgiou to the position of chief risk officer, with immediate effect.
She replaces Wade Martin who left to join UniSuper in February this year.
Georgiou will report to deputy chief executive officer Marianne Walker and joins the executive team.
She joins Cbus from Crown Resorts, where she served as group executive general manager, compliance and regulatory affairs. Georgiou also held roles at Westpac and National Australia Bank.
Crown Resorts did not respond to AsianInvestor’s query on Georgiou’s replacement at the time of publication.
QIC MAKES THREE SENIOR APPOINTMENTS
Queensland state-owned infrastructure investor, QIC, made three key appointments to its energy and utilities team with the addition of Paul Maguire as partner, Richard Van Breda as senior advisor for energy transition, and Mark Irwin also as senior advisor for energy transition.
The team, now comprising 25 executives, manages over A$12 billion ($8 billion) in energy and utility assets.
Maguire joins from Lumea, where he served as CEO.
He was previously CFO at Engie APAC, an innovative energy firm.
Van Breda comes onboard after resigning from his role as CEO of Stanwell in 2021, a major Australian energy provider. Stanwell appointed Michael O'Rourke as its new CEO.
Irwin is currently CEO of ADBRI, an Australian construction materials manufacturer.
All three will play key roles in driving value across QIC's existing portfolio and sourcing new investment opportunities, including joining the boards of four Australian energy investments.
They will continue to be based in Queensland and will report to Ross Israel, QIC’s head of infrastructure.
PARAGON CAPITAL MANAGEMENT OPENS HK OFFICE
Singapore-based boutique asset management firm Paragon Capital Management launched a Hong Kong office and appointed Arthur Fong as chief executive officer and Faye Ng as chief operating officer.
They will drive the firm's expansion strategy in North Asia, focusing on enhancing and building client relationships in the Greater Bay Area, Taiwan, and Mainland China.
Fong has held various leadership roles throughout his 30-year career in financial services, including at Citigroup Private Bank and UBS. He is also a former Singaporean politician.
He was CEO of Hong Kong-based One Heritage Capital Management before taking on this new role, according to his LinkedIn. AsianInvestor was unable to ascertain if a successor was named at One Heritage.
Ng is a senior private banker and has worked in both Hong Kong and Singapore.
She was most recently with VP Wealth Management (Hong Kong).
LS SECURITIES MAKES INSTITUTIONAL CLIENTS HIRE
Korea-based LS Securities hired Don Yoon as managing director in its institutional division, effective May.
Based in Seoul, Yoon oversees the marketing and distribution of private funds to Korean institutional investors. LG Securities could not be reached for comments for further details.
Yoon most recently worked as a distribution banker at Credit Suisse’s private fund group in Korea, facilitating capital raising efforts for global GPs across diverse private fund strategies.
Credit Suisse’s parent company UBS did not respond to AsianInvestor’s enquiries at the time of publication.
He previously held a similar distribution banker role at Campbell Lutyens in Hong Kong, as well as in companies in London, Hong Kong, and Seoul.
MORNINGSTAR ASIA PRODUCT MANAGER ADDS PACIFIC TO REMIT
Financial services firm Morningstar expanded Janet Hyewon Chang’s role as senior product manager in Asia to also include Australia and New Zealand, effective June.
She joined Morningstar in 2019 and has been senior product manager for Asia since 2022. Morningstar did not respond to AsianInvestor’s request for comments at the time of publication.
Chang previously worked for Goldman Sachs in the US and Korea.