Weekly roundup of people news, May 27
VP BANK HIRES EX-GIC EQUITIES HEAD
VP Bank has appointed Johnny Heng, former head of global equities at Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC, to head its Singapore office, according to a company statement on Monday. (May 23)
Heng, who will join the firm on June 1 and report to Asia CEO Pamela Hsu Phua, will be responsible for developing its operations and activities in Singapore.
He replaces Thomas Rupf, who has been the interim acting head following the departure of Bruno Morel in April last year for personal reasons. He will also hold the additional role of CIO Asia,
Prior to joining, Heng – who has more than 25 years of industry experience - worked for Equities First Holdings, Nomura Singapore, Coutts & Co., and Credit Suisse Private Bank. He also held senior investment roles in GIC and a single-family office, helming the investment teams through numerous market cycles like the "dot.com" bubble and the last global financial crisis.
HKEX HIRES CO-HEAD OF ASSET ACCUMULATION FROM CREDIT SUISSE
Robert Cheeseman will join Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing from Credit Suisse as managing director and co-head of asset accumulation in the sales and marketing department, starting June 1, the regulator announced on Thursday (May 26).
Based in Hong Kong, Cheeseman will work alongside Tae Yoo, leading the department, driving key HKEX market initiatives and enhancing the attractiveness of its markets. In particular, he will focus on growing the group’s derivatives franchise and advancing its derivatives business. He will report to Christina Bao and Kevin Rideout, co-heads of sales and marketing.
Cheeseman brings to this newly created position over 20 years of experience and deep client connectivity in the derivatives space, having worked in Hong Kong, London and Australia.
He was most recently the managing director and Asia Pacific head of prime derivatives services with Credit Suisse. Prior to joining Credit Suisse in 2018, he held various leadership positions in derivatives at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs.
CBUS ADDS TO EXECUTIVE TEAM
Deputy chief executive and chief operating officer of LUCRF Super Antony Thow has joined Cbus as group executive of brand, growth and product.
His new role, which commences in mid-July, will oversee brand, growth, marketing and communications, as well as public affairs, industry partnerships, product development and advocacy.
He replaces Robbie Campo who was made chief executive of ESSSuper. Cbus thanked Campo for her successful tenure and advocacy for members.
Thow has been with LUCRF Super since 2010, which will merge with AustralianSuper next month. Before that, he was a trustee director for the super fund and he currently holds board and member council roles on the Australian Council of Super Investors (ACSI) from 2013 to present day, including serving as Vice President for four years.
AMUNDI PROMOTES NORTH ASIA INSTITUTIONAL BUSINESS HEAD
Amundi announced the promotion of Alfred Lee to managing director and head of institutional business in North Asia ex-China. The appointment took effect from 1st April 2022.
Lee is responsible for the institutional business development in Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong across all the investment strategies. He joined Amundi Hong Kong in 2018 as director of head of Institutional Business, Hong Kong and Macau.
Before joining Amundi, Lee was the head of institutional business development for PineBridge in Hong Kong, Macau and the Philippines. He started his career at BlackRock in 2009 as an analyst in the institutional client service team to cover the Asia ex-Japan region before being responsible for the business development in Hong Kong, Macau and the Philippines.
AsianInvestor has approached Amundi for further comment on whom he replaces and reports to but did not receive a response by time of publishing.
BNP PARIBAS AM LOSES ASIA HEAD OF STEWARDSHIP
Paul Milon, head of stewardship for Asia Pacific at BNP Paribas Asset Management, has resigned from the firm, AsianInvestor has learned.
Milon has led the asset manager’s stewardship activities in the region and has been a representative of the firm’s ESG initiatives for the past five years while based in Hong Kong.
He joined the company in Paris in 2008 and has been based in Hong Kong since 2010.
A company spokesperson confirmed that he will be leaving the firm at the end of June to pursue interests outside the firm. Michael Herskovich, global head of stewardship and Xuan Sheng Ou Yong, green bonds and ESG analyst will be supporting the sales and investment teams across the stewardship space in the interim before the new head is appointed, the person said.
The firm is on the hunt for Milon's replacement along with additional appointments within the sustainable team across Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, the spokesperson added.
NATIXIS IM ADDS FIRST ASIA-BASED MANAGEMENT MEMBER
Natixis Investment Managers has added its head of Asia Pacific Fabrice Chemouny to the management committee, making him the only Asia-based member of the committee, the firm announced on Monday (May 23).
The appointment came when the firm added eight new members to the now 15-strong management committee, in a bid to further strengthen its client service and to ensure that ESG and impact considerations are fully integrated into its strategy and operations.
The committee is responsible for setting and implementing strategic objectives for the asset and wealth management (AWM) activities of Natixis parent Groupe BPCE’s global financial services (GFS), the firm said. The other seven new members are based in Europe or the US with more global focuses.
Chemouny has been with Natixis for more than 17 years and has led Natixis IM’s growth in the Asia-Pacific region for the past five years, based in Hong Kong. As head of Asia Pacific, he oversees distribution activities and business development and manages the day-to-day relationships between investment affiliates in the region.
His appointment to the committee reflects that the Asia Pacific region is one of the firm’s top strategic priorities as it diversifies its business, the firm said.
SHINJI INOUE REJOINS NATIXIS IM
Natixis Investment Managers has appointed Shinji Inoue as president and representative director for Natixis IM Japan, effective May 23rd 2022. Inoue will be based in Tokyo and report to Fabrice Chemouny, head of Asia Pacific at Natixis IM.
Inoue took over from Kinji Kato, president and representative director for Natixis IM Japan since 2014. Kato became honorary chairman at Natixis IM Japan as of May 23rd 2022 and will continue to work closely with Inoue on strategic initiatives and partnerships with large institutions.
Inoue was previously Natixis IM Japan from 2008 through 2010 as the head of investment management. He rejoins from Pimco Japan where he worked since 2010.
A spokesperson confirmed Inoue left Pimco mid of May. At the time of his departure from the firm, Shinji was an executive vice president and head of the global wealth management channel in Japan. Earlier in his tenure, he was the head of the pension channel.
Minoru Matsuzawa, executive vice president, has assumed the role of Pimco’s acting head of global wealth management channel in Japan, reporting to Alec Kersman, head of Asia Pacific. Matsuzawa has been with Pimco since 2014 and will lead the firm’s Japan global wealth management client management team to continue to develop the firm’s GWM business and service the clients in this segment, the spokesperson said.
JANUS HENDERSON APPOINTS NEW INTERMEDIARY SALES HEAD
Janus Henderson Investors has appointed Alex Ng as head of intermediary sales for Asia ex Japan with effect from July 12, according to a company statement on Wednesday. (May 25)
Based in Singapore in this newly created role, he will report to Andrew Hendry, head of distribution, Asia ex Japan, and will be responsible for leading and managing the intermediary sales function across Southeast Asia and Greater China, with a focus on partnering with global banking clients to ensure their investment needs are met.
Ng has about 15 years of experience in the fund management industry. He joins from Federated Hermes - which has informed AsianInvestor that it is currently looking for his replacement - where he was head of wholesale distribution, Asia, responsible for the firm's wholesale channel within Asia ex Japan.
Prior to that he was director at abrdn, where he was responsible for product distribution to banks, single-family and multi-family offices. He also held business development roles in Lion Global Investors and Reliance Asset Management.
FRANKLIN TEMPLETON NAMES MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR APAC ALTERNATIVES
Franklin Templeton has hired Patrick Vizzone as managing director and head of agri-food for its Asia Pacific alternatives group. In this newly-created role, Vizzone will lead private equity and venture capital investments in the sustainable agri-food sector globally, the firm announced on Tuesday (May 24).
Based in Hong Kong, Vizzone will report to Jing Su Vivatrat, President and chief operating officer of Franklin Templeton’s Asia Pacific alternatives group. He started on Monday (May 23).
Vizzone is a finance and agri-food industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience. He was with ANZ Banking Group for over four years and was most recently the international head of food, beverage and agribusiness and head of Hong Kong coverage until May.
Vizzone is also a member of the board of directors of the International Fresh Produce Association, where he sits on the executive committee as secretary-treasurer.
M&G PROMOTES JAPAN REAL ESTATE HEAD
M&G Real Estate has promoted Seiko Ikeda to head of Japan, from 1 April 2022. Based in Tokyo, Seiko will continue to report to Jing Dong Lai, who she replaces after Lai took over as chief executive officer and chief investment officer in Asia. Lai had been head of Japan since September 2019.
Ikeda joined M&G Real Estate in 2016 as part of the acquisitions team based in Singapore responsible for leading several strategic investments on behalf of the M&G Real Estate's Asia Pacific core strategy. In 2018, she was appointed director of acquisitions in Japan to lead the local acquisitions team and oversee the growth of Japan’s AUM.
Ikeda has over 25 years of experience in financial and professional services across the real estate, retail, chemical and automobile sectors. Prior to joining M&G Real Estate, she held roles at large corporations including GE Japan, Roland Berger and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.
Other people news published this week: