Weekly roundup of people news, Sept 18
BNPP AM'S APAC CIO RETIRES
Alex Ng has retired from his role as Asia Pacific chief investment officer at BNP Paribas Asset Management after 32 years with the asset manager, AsianInvestor can reveal.
His last day in this role was August 31 but he will remain as a non-executive director within some investment committees at BNPP AM, a company spokesman said.
He added that Ng will not be replaced and the Asia-based investment teams will report into their respective global investment team heads.
Ng's retirement comes just a few weeks after BNP Paribas Asset Management appointed Stephen Billiet to become its new regional CEO, replacing Ligia Torres who retired in August.
CHINA ASSET MANAGEMENT NAMES NEW CEO
China Asset Management (Hong Kong), has named Gan Tian as chief executive, effective September 9. He replaces Frank Zhang, who has resigned from the fund house.
Gan is the chief investment officer of ChinaAMC (HK) and will now serve concurrently as the CEO and CIO, a company spokeswoman told AsianInvestor.
Zhang had been with ChinaAMC (HK) since August 2014, and before that he was deputy director-general of the then-named China Banking Regulatory Commission, his LinkedIn profile shows.
AsianInvestor could not ascertain Zhang’s next move.
*This story has been updated to reflect that Gan will continue to serve as CIO.
PEAK REINSURANCE APPOINTS SENIOR VP
Peak Reinsurance (Peak Re), a global reinsurer based in Hong Kong, appointed Matteo Cussigh as senior vice president of markets, effective September 16.
Based in Switzerland, Cussigh will contribute to the growth of portfolio and further strengthen firm’s client base in Europe.
Prior to joining Peak Re, Cussigh worked for Swiss reinsurer New Reinsurance for 10 years. He stepped down as head of origination & analytics, capital partners in early September this year, according to firm’s announcement and his LinkedIn profile.
Cussigh had also previously worked at London-based Aon Risk Service and Swiss Reinsurance.
Peak Re was founded in 2012, but in May consolidated Bermuda-based asset management firm Lutece Investment Management which dedicates to insurance-linked securities. Chinese investment firm Hong Kong-listed Fosun International and Prudential Financial hold indirect respective 87% and 13% stakes in Peak Re.
ROBECO REORGANISES CHINA EQUITIES TEAM AFTER MIO'S EXIT
Robeco has made changes to its China equities team following the departure of Victoria Mio, its former chief investment officer for China and co-head of Asia Pacific equities.
The Dutch fund house appointed Lu Jie as head of investments for China on September 14, in addition to his role as general manager and representative of its Shanghai unit.
Mio joined rival Fidelity as director of Asian equities on September 14 after 14 years with Robeco.
In addition to becoming China CIO, Lu sub-advises the China A-share strategy team, which is now managed by the China investment team. Lu reports to Fabiana Fedeli, Rotterdam-based global head of fundamental equities. He has worked for Robeco since 2015.
Having joined Robeco as head of research for China in 2015, Lu previously worked at Norwegian sovereign wealth fund Norges Bank Investment Management and Morgan Stanley.
In addition, Robeco appointed Hong Kong-based Du Liying as lead portfolio manager for offshore Chinese equities, a position also previously held by Mio. Du has been co-portfolio manager of the team since 2016, after joining in 2013. She reports to Arnout van Rijn, CIO for Asia-Pacific equities.
Plus Tang Lin was promoted to co-portfolio manager and has relocated from Hong Kong to Shanghai for the new role, where she reports to Du. She been a research analyst in the team since 2016.
INDOSUEZ WM NAMES HEAD OF CAPITAL MARKETS FOR ASIA
Indosuez Wealth Management has appointed Davis Hall as head of capital markets for Asia.
Based in Hong Kong, Hall is responsible for planning and executing the capital markets strategy for structured products, foreign exchange and precious metals, among others. He reports to Arjan de Boer, Hong Kong-based head of markets for investments and structuring for Asia.
Hall was previously the Geneva-based global head of foreign exchange and precious metals advisory at Indosuez, before relocating to Hong Kong earlier this year.
Indosuez Wealth Management also appointed Madeline Cheng as Singapore-based head of real estate for Asia, and Jackson Ho as Hong Kong-based foreign exchange and precious metals advisor. Cheng reports to Julien Collin, head of markets for investments and structuring for Singapore and Ho reports to Trevor See, head of foreign exchange and precious metals advisory for Hong Kong.
Prior to joining Indosuez, Cheng was the team lead in corporate and institutional banking at Qatar National Bank. Her portfolio included working with some of the region’s local large conglomerates, sovereign wealth funds, government linked companies, and others. Qatar National Bank could not be reached for comment.
Ho worked at Citibank Hong Kong before joining Indosuez. Citi declined to comment on his departure.
SJP ASIA ANNOUNCES TWO SENIOR APPOINTMENTS
St. James Place Wealth Management Asia (SJP Asia) has named Daniel Brunner as partner and Thomas Forster as associate partner for St. James’s Place Partnership, effective September 16. The two are based in Singapore and will focus on serving Asian customers.
Brunner previously worked at Credit Suisse in various senior roles for almost 23 years, most recently as a managing director covering Greater China and senior client partner in private banking Asia Pacific till June 2016, according to a press release and his LinkedIn profile.
He joined SJP Asia as partner in August. Prior to that, he served Swiss-based wealth manager Marcuard Heritage as senior wealth management consultant for three years until July. A spokeswoman declined to comment on how it would cover his responsibilities.
Forster SJP Asia in July 2020, and beforehand worked in senior roles in wealth management for Schroders and Deutsche Bank Singapore, his LinkedIn profile shows. The company did not reply to AsianInvestor questions on how it would cover his responsibilities.
HSBC Global Asset Management (HSBC Global AM) announced the new appointment of Rachida Mourahib as head of fixed income ESG (environmental, social and governance) and green research, effective Thursday (September 17), to support firm’s global ESG fixed income and green bond team.
Paris-based Mourahib reports to Tina Radovic, global head of credit research. Additionally, she will also contribute to the global ESG research team which is headed by Xavier Desmadryl, global head of ESG research.
After joining the firm in 2006 as ESG analyst, Mourahib subsequently worked as equity and credit analyst, specialising in pharmaceuticals and local authorities.
Prior to that, she was an ESG and corporate governance analyst at BNP Paribas Asset Management where she joined in March 2003 and departed in September 2005, according to her LinkedIn profile.
HSBC Global AM did not respond to questions about Mourahib's appointment.
Offshore law specialist firm Carey Olsen has hired Eason Huang, an investment funds lawyer, from rival Appleby to be a legal manager in its Hong Kong office.
Huang started in early September, and reports to Michael Pandarin, managing partner of the Hong Kong office. He has worked in the funds industry in Hong Kong for over six years, and previously worked in the global investment funds group of Appleby. In addition, he also used to work in the funds team of a Chinese firm in its Hong Kong office.
According to a press release, Huang's clients are a combination of Chinese fund managers, fund sponsors and venture capitalists, as well as Securities and Futures Commission-licensed fund managers
A spokesman said the appointment of Huang was part of an ongoing desire of Carey Olsen to expand its Hong Kong office, but declined to comment on whether Huang’s appointment was into a new position or to fill a vacant role.
An Appleby spokesperson did not respond to emailed questions.
Other people news reported by AsianInvestor last week:
Pacific Century Group adds a well-known CIO
Article updated to clarify Robeco's China A-share strategy leadership, and Tang Lin's name.