M&G Investments has confirmed the formal appointment of Ross Sterling as deputy portfolio manager for its M&G Japan equities strategy, reporting to Carl Vine, co-head of M&G’s Asia Pacific equity team.

Sterling (pictured) contributes to stock selection, portfolio construction and research into Japanese companies of all sizes, in an asset class where M&G’s heritage stretches back to 1971.

He has 15 years of investment experience, including nine years specialising in Japanese equities. Prior to joining M&G, Sterling was deputy fund manager and senior analyst at TT International, where he expanded his coverage to global equities while maintaining responsibility for Japanese stocks.

Earlier in his career, he was an analyst and portfolio manager at Universities Superannuation Scheme, where he contributed to the management of a £2.5bn ($3.4bn) Japanese equities portfolio.

Carl Vine is the lead portfolio manager for M&G’s Japanese equities strategies, and is supported by both Sterling and Sabrina Gleeson, deputy portfolio manager for the M&G Japan Smaller Companies strategy, in the day-to-day running of the strategies.

M&G’s Asia Pacific equity team invests in various strategies based on its style-agnostic stock-picking approach. The team comprises over 20 investment professionals based between London and Asia, managing approximately £28 billion across strategies investing in Asia ex-Japan, Japan, China and India.

Vine said: “We are delighted to appoint Ross as deputy portfolio manager to our flagship Japanese equities strategy. He brings deep experience of the Japanese market, strong analytical discipline and a genuine passion for identifying idiosyncratic investment opportunities, based on differentiated theses. His appointment further strengthens the resources within our team and supports our continued focus on delivering strong long-term outcomes for clients.”

Sterling added: “Japan is undergoing a significant period of corporate and economic transformation, creating attractive opportunities for active investors. Since joining M&G, I have been impressed by the team’s clear focus on identifying unique investment opportunities based on long-term research, and its value-added shareholdership approach, which has earned strong recognition among corporate Japan.”