PGIM Investments poaches from GSAM
PGIM Investments has hired Jessica Jones as managing director, head of Asia. In this newly created role, Jones will lead the expansion of PGIM’s global intermediary business into Asia, building the teams in Hong Kong and Singapore to support the firm’s sales and distribution efforts in the region. Jones will be based in Hong Kong and report to Kimberly LaPointe, head of PGIM Investments International.
PGIM Investments is part of PGIM, the $1.5trn global investment management business of US-based Prudential Financial.
Jones joins from Goldman Sachs Asset Management where she was managing director and head of the retail client business, Asia ex-Japan. During her 17-year tenure, she held several sales leadership roles across Europe and Asia.
Subject to regulatory approval, Jones will also serve as the responsible officer for PGIM Investments and will join the PGIM Hong Kong board.
Deutsche Bank hires three Southeast Asia PBs
Urs Brudermann has joined Deutsche Bank Wealth Management a managing director and group head of Southeast Asia, reporting to Shang-Wei Chow, head of Southeast Asia. Brudermann has two decades of wealth management experience, and joins from Credit Suisse where he was team leader for the Thai Market. He started his career in Switzerland with UBS, and previously spent 11 years at Credit Suisse in senior leadership positions managing teams across Singapore and Hong Kong.
Shawn Ngoh will be joining the team as a director and ultra-high net worth banker Pichaya Prawanmeet has been hired as a vice president. Ngoh was previously a director with Credit Suisse, and earlier held positions at United Overseas Bank and Citibank. Prawanmeet previously worked at Credit Suisse and Kasikornbank.
RBC GAM adds to Asia client coverage
RBC Global Asset Management (GAM), part of Royal Bank of Canada, has hired a new director of Asia client coverage, Serene Sun. Based in Hong Kong, Sun will report to Mayur Nallamala, senior portfolio manager and head of Asian equities.
In her role, Sun will be responsible for the coverage of Asia ex-Japan regional clients, as well as prospective sales and marketing activities for the Asia GAM team.
Before joining RBC GAM, she was most recently vice president of client business for Blackrock in Hong Kong where she was responsible for business development and relationship management for China institutional distributors after relocating from the firm’s Singapore office covering Southeast Asia based clients.
Julius Baer lures UOB banker
Julius Baer has hired the former North Asia market head from UOB Private Bank to grow its Greater China business out of Singapore. Vincent Ming will be Greater China deputy group head, reporting to Greater China Singapore group head Chew Mun Yew.
Ming was UOB Private Bank’s North Asia market head since 2017; previously, he was a Greater China team leader at Credit Suisse for ten years.
CS hires two Southeast Asia PBs
Chatkaew Groatong joins Credit Suisse as its head of private funds based in Bangkok, and will lead the bank’s onshore fund management operations in Thailand.
Groatong has two decades of asset and wealth management experience, joining from SCB Julius Baer Securities, which is a Thai joint venture between Julius Baer and Siam Commercial Bank. She was its head of investment management for two years, advising ultra-high net worth clients on investments. Groateng has also worked at Krungsri Asset Management, and was a fund manager at Tisco Asset Management and PrimaVest Asset Management.
Russell Huang has moved to Credit Suisse to become a managed solution specialist based in Singapore. He will focus on funds, alternatives and discretionary portfolio advisory for Southeast Asia-based clients.
Huang joins from Bank of Singapore where he was a managed investments sales & advisory team member. Previously, in his 13 years career, he has worked for Citi and Julius Baer as an investment advisor.
Groatong and Huang report to Jacqueline Zhuang, head of managed solutions, investment consulting South Asia.
State Street appoints Apac collateral management team leader and Japan head
State Street announced the appointment of Sam Edwards as head of collateral management for Asia Pacific, effective immediately. Edwards, with almost two decades of experience in securities finance, and liquidity and financial resource management, will strengthen State Street’s collateral management team in Asia Pacific to better support its regional clients in devising a well-executed collateral strategy, according to a statement by the firm.
Edwards will report globally to Staffan Ahlner, global head of collateral management, and regionally to Michele Hardeman, head of global markets, Asia Pacific. He will be based in Hong Kong.
Edwards joins State Street from Credit Suisse, where he set up secured financing in Apac and equity financing capabilities in EMEA during his 12-year tenure with the firm. His most recent role was head of Asia Pacific central collateral desk. Prior to Credit Suisse, Edwards spent six years at Lehman Brothers’ on the equity & fixed income secured financing desk.
Separately, State Street Corporation has appointed Taro Kuryuzawa as country head for Japan, effective immediately. Based in Tokyo, Kuryuzawa will report to Mostapha Tahiri, chief executive officer for Asia Pacific. In this newly created role, Kuryuzawa will be responsible for State Street’s business activities in Japan.
Kuryuzawa joined State Street in May this year, from Deloitte Tohmatsu group where he was most recently head of institutional investor coverage in Japan and global lead client service partner, overseeing large insurers and global institutional investor accounts in Japan. Prior to Deloitte, he held a number of senior positions at Citigroup, including its global private equity fund, CVC International, for almost a decade.
ASI adds to Apac sales team
Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) has appointed David Hanzl as head of wholesale – Asia Pacific and Sean Lee as head of institutional sales – SoutheEast Asia.
Based in Hong Kong, Hanzl will be responsible for delivering ASI’s wholesale distribution strategy and building out its wholesale franchise in Asia Pacific. He has two decades of client, fund distribution and operating experience in the wealth and asset management industry, including 13 years in Asia.
Hanzl joins ASI from UBS Asset Management where he was head of regional operating office for Asia Pacific since 2014, as well as global wholesale business manager from 2016 to 2019. He was also a member of the UBS Asset Management global operating and Apac management committees. He was previously responsible for its platform fund sales activities including shelf management, positioning, book steering, after-sales and fund offering for its Asia Pacific wealth management franchise.
Lee is adding to his existing job of head of consultant relations – Asia Pacific at ASI, with his role as head of institutional sales, Southeast Asia. Based in Singapore, he will continue to lead the regional consultant relations team, while also responsible for broadening and deepening the company’s institutional client base.
Prior to his 14 years’ career with ASI, he held senior sales and leadership roles with Credit Suisse and the National Australia Bank.
Fidelity hires another sustainable investing director
Fidelity International has poaches Daniela Jaramillo from Hesta to be a director for sustainable investing, based in Melbourne.
She will work with Fidelity’s research department on the firm’s proprietary sustainability ratings, support engagement and voting activities with investee companies and contribute to the development of Fidelity’s sustainability product offerings. In addition, Jaramillo will act as a spokesperson for Fidelity and represent the firm’s sustainable investing capabilities in Australia and New Zealand.
At HESTA where she was most recently senior responsible investment adviser, and earlier in her 16-year career she held roles in sustainable investment at Wespath Investment Management and Legal & General Investment Management.
Jaramillo’s appointment follow’s Fidelity’s recent hire of Gabriel Wilson-Otto to the position of director, sustainable investing, in Hong Kong and brings the size of the firm’s dedicated sustainable investing team in Asia Pacific to 13 across five markets.
