Manulife Wealth and Asset Management (Manulife WAM), the global wealth and asset management business of Manulife, has announced Fabio Fontainha as its new head of Wealth & Asset Management, Asia, effective February 2025.
Fontainha succeeds Michael Dommermuth, who is leaving the firm at the end of the year.
Based in Hong Kong, Fontainha (pictured) will report to Paul Lorentz and will also be accountable to Phil Witherington, president and CEO, Manulife Asia.
He will also be a member of the Manulife WAM leadership team and Manulife’s Global Leadership Team (GLT), and will collaborate closely with all country and regional heads, chief investment officers, and global product teams to deliver investment capabilities for the region.
Fontainha will also drive Manulife WAM’s strategic growth plans locally and provide local oversight to the retail, retirement and institutional businesses, partner closely with local functional heads, and serve as a touch point for teams working on strategic initiatives throughout Asia, according to a statement by the company.
“We are excited for Fabio to build on the momentum that has been growing for Manulife Wealth and Asset Management in Asia as we look to provide wealth and investment solutions to even more investors,” said Lorentz.
“We are also appreciative of Michael’s commitment to our firm and the impact he has had on our expansion in multiple markets over more than two decades, ranging from multiple emerging Asia markets including India, as well as the conversion of our joint venture in China into a wholly-owned entity in Manulife Fund Management,” he added.
Fontainha was previously at Citigroup for more than three decades, which included experience with consumer and private wealth, as well as retail markets. He worked in Tokyo, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur during this time.
Most recently, Fontainha was global business execution head at Citi Private Bank. Throughout his career he has managed global, regional, and local businesses in Asia, Latin America, Europe, the United States, and the Middle East with various mandates including head of retail banking for Citi across Asia Pacific and Europe Middle East, Africa.
