Fiera Capital has announced the appointment of C.J. Morrell as managing director, head of Japan, Fiera Capital Asia, effective immediately. The newly created role will enable Fiera to increase its strategic focus on the Japanese market during a period of comprehensive economic reform in the country, according to the firm.
Morrell (pictured) will report to Rob Petty, CEO of Fiera Capital Asia, and will build on the existing Asia team’s business and 23-year history in Singapore, Hong Kong and Korea.
The new position supports the ongoing rollout of Fiera’s regionalised distribution model and follows the recent appointments of Klaus Schuster, CEO of Fiera EMEA, Eric Roberts, CEO of Fiera USA, Maxime Menard, CEO of Fiera Canada and Alain Meyer, Managing Director, and Head of DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
Morrell will be responsible for growing Fiera’s presence in Japan, and building upon its existing relationships in the market. He has over 30 years of experience in the asset management industry including at Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan and Sloane Robinson Asset Management.
“As a firm, our commitment comes at a time when we are seeing the long-term impact of the government’s ongoing financial reform, the end of the zero-interest rate environment, and thus a long-term opportunity for our active asset management mindset and differentiated strategies to offer Japanese investors our long-term Canadian perspective on investments,” said Rob Petty, CEO of Fiera Capital Asia.
“This is particularly the case as institutional and high-net-worth capital shifts to strategies across real assets and equities with inflation-hedging and income generating characteristics, where Fiera Capital is extremely well-placed.”
Fiera is an independent asset management firm with over $122 billion AUM as at 31 December 2023. Morrell’s appointment comes shortly after Fiera opened dedicated regional offices in both Zurich, Switzerland, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in February 2024.
