Weekly roundup of people news, Oct 4
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AVIVA INVESTORS NAMES NEW APAC CHIEF
British fund house Aviva Investors appointed Sandra Cheng as chief executive for Asia Pacific and head of Asia Pacific distribution, effective October 21.
She succeeds Richard Surrency, who is leaving the firm, adding to a number of recent changes in regional heads at asset managers.
Based in Singapore, Cheng will report to Jill Barber, chief distribution officer at Aviva Investors, the asset management arm of UK insurer Aviva.
Cheng joins from rival fund manager Columbia Threadneedle, where she was CEO of Singapore and head of institutional for Southeast Asia until her departure in September, as first reported by AsianInvestor.
Prior to this, she held roles with Deutsche Asset Management, HSBC Investments and Wellington International Management.
Surrency, who is now on gardening leave, joined Aviva Investors in Singapore in November 2022 from Franklin Templeton, where he had been Asia head of alternatives sales.
Separately, Aviva Investors hired Denis Resovac in August in the newly created role of Asia-Pacific head of insurance solution sales. He had previously held similar roles at fund houses Robeco and DWS.
These changes follow Aviva Investors’ June closure of its Australia office and withdrawal from the retail market there.
JPMAM’S ASIA FIXED INCOME HEAD LEAVES
Shaw Yann Ho, managing director and head of the Asian fixed income team at JP Morgan Asset Management, has left, a spokesperson told AsianInvestor.
Ho was part of the global fixed income, currency and commodities group. She worked with JP Morgan for about 14 years.
Julio Callegari, CIO of Asia fixed income, leads the Asian fixed income team now, the spokesperson told AsianInvestor.
The Asia fixed income team is responsible for managing bond portfolios in the region and is active in Asian instruments across investment grade and high yield credit to local currency bonds and convertibles.
FIDELITY INTERNATIONAL HIRES NEW APAC CHIEF FROM BLACKROCK
Fidelity International appointed Damien Mooney as managing director, Asia Pacific ex Japan, with effect from October 28.
He succeeds Rajeev Mittal, who finishes his six-year term and will leave Fidelity in October.
Mooney, who has previously worked at Fidelity, rejoins his former employer after 13 years at BlackRock, where he was most recently head of client partnerships and chief marketing officer for APAC.
He was also the Asia Pacific head of BlackRock’s retail and wealth business, as well as regional head of Aladdin wealth tech.
Prior to BlackRock, he spent nine years at Fidelity International in several senior roles, including regional head of marketing, Asia Pacific.
Mooney will report to Derek Young, who has been appointed global head of asset management distribution.
Young, who was Fidelity’s Japan president, will bring together the firm’s distribution teams from across Europe and Asia Pacific ex Japan alongside the client propositions team in his new capacity, the firm told AsianInvestor.
Colby Penzone will succeed Young as Japan president, effective October 1.
Penzone was previously head of FundsNetwork and Fidelity Institutional Product at Fidelity Investments.
MERCER PROMOTES ADELINE TAN TO NEW ASIA ROLE
Mercer promoted Adeline Tan to the newly created role of head of investments, Asia, effective September 30, the firm told AsianInvestor.
Based in Hong Kong, Tan was most recently wealth business leader, Hong Kong at Mercer.
She will focus on accelerating the growth of Mercer’s investment capabilities in Asia across research, advice and solutions, while continuing to lead key client accounts in Hong Kong and the rest of Asia.
She reports to Graham Elliot, Asia wealth leader, Mercer.
Tan joined Mercer in Hong Kong in 2014 as head of investment advisory and became wealth business leader in 2018.
Before that, she spent 12 years with Towers Watson, now WTW, in the UK.
Chen Rupeng will succeed Tan in her previous role as Hong Kong wealth leader and head of retirement (Asia), effective September 30.
Based in Hong Kong, Chen reports to Richard Roper, president of Mercer Hong Kong.
She will also be a senior member of the regional wealth leadership team, headed by Asia Wealth Leader Graham Elliot.
Chen joined from Robeco, where she was most recently director of client portfolio management for quant strategies Asia Pacific in Hong Kong.
She worked previously with Schroders in Australia.
CIC NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
China Investment Corporation appointed Dai Peng and Liao Qiang as members of the executive committee, the sovereign wealth fund announced on September 29.
Dai currently serves as head of the asset allocation and business management department of CIC.
Previously, he held several positions at CIC, including secretary of the board of directors, head of the administrative office and office of the board of directors.
Liao is head of the equity management department II and equity management department III of Central Huijin.
Prior to this, he held senior positions at Central Huijin’s equity management department, and was the dispatched director to Bank of China.
Before joining Central Huijin, Liao held senior roles at S&P’s Financial Institutions Ratings Group.
COLONIAL FIRST STATE HIRES PE HEAD FROM CDPQ
Colonial First State appointed Chloé Brayne to the newly created role of head of private equity and unlisted assets.
Brayne joins from Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), where she was a senior investment director in the Australian infrastructure team for three years.
Based in Melbourne, she will report to chief investment officer Jonathan Armitage.
Her previous positions include roles at AustralianSuper and a global infrastructure contractor.
At CDPQ, she oversaw infrastructure investments across Australia and New Zealand, including projects like Plenary, Port of Brisbane, Sydney Metro, and WestConnex.
CDPQ did not respond to AsianInvestor’s request for comment on Brayne’s replacement at the time of publication.
MANULIFE IM HIRES ALTS SPECIALIST IN SINGAPORE
Manulife Investment Management appointed Calvin Lim to the newly created role of alternatives investment specialist, based in Singapore, effective October 3.
He will support the asset manager’s development of private market capabilities, ranging from private equity, private credit, real assets, and more, in Asia.
Lim reports to Alex Catterick, global head of alternative investment at Manulife IM.
He will work alongside distribution teams in the region to deliver the firm’s suite of private market investment solutions to clients.
Lim was previously product specialist in the private markets and alternatives team at Bank of Singapore. He has also worked with Goldman Sachs Singapore.
FIERA CAPITAL NAMES ASIA MD
Fiera Capital Corporation, an investment manager with over $116.1 billion in assets under management, appointed John Cappetta to the newly created role of managing director, head of Asia, excluding Japan and Korea, Fiera Capital Asia, effective immediately.
Cappetta was most recently head of private banking and Asia advisor to global investment manager Ninety One.
A well-known name in private banking circles, he was managing director and senior adviser to Julius Baer and based in its Singapore office for six years.
Cappetta reports to Rob Petty, executive director and CEO, Fiera Capital Asia.
INDIA’S SHRIRAM AMC HIRES FIXED INCOME FUND MANAGER
India’s Shriram Asset Management Company appointed Sudip More as fund manager – fixed income investments.
In this newly created role, More will oversee the management of Shriram AMC's fixed income and debt schemes.
He will work closely with Deepak Ramaraju, senior fund manager, to strengthen the company’s offerings in the fixed income domain.
He joins from Kshema General Insurance, where he was also fund manager for fixed income.