Standard Life Investments has named Neil Slater as CEO and representative director in Japan. The firm opened a new office in Tokyo after receving an investment advisory and agency licence from the Financial Services Agency in Japan in mid-April, SLI said in a statement.
In his new role, Slater leads a team of 11 people covering business and client servicing functions, including two members who provide business support to the Japan desk from the firm’s Edinburgh headquarters.
He reports to Colin Clark, executive director and head of the global client group, based in London.
Slater was previously a fund manager of the the firm’s global real estate team. He is experienced in fund structuring and operations across liquid and illiquid asset classes.
The firm also named Mikifumi Watanabe as vice chairman in Japan. Reporting to Slater, Watanabe is responsible for the development of business strategy.
Watanabe joined the company as a senior advisor in 2015.
“As part of our global strategy and long term commitment to the Asia Pacific region, we look forward to taking our Japanese business to the next phase of development,” Clark said.
“Japan is the world’s second largest asset management industry. As a global asset manager, building a long-term presence on the ground is strategically important for our clients,” Slater said.
The firm said it has had a presence in Japan for more than five years.
M&G fills new Japan role
In a separate Japan appointment, M&G Investments has named Taro Shiroyama to assume the newly-created role of managing director of institutional business development in Japan.
Based in Tokyo, Shiroyama will be responsible for strengthening the firm’s existing relationships with local partners, investors and consultants, and for developing new relationships.
He will report to the director of institutional business for Asia-Pacific Marcel de Bruijckere, who is based in Singapore.
Shiroyama has 18 years of experience in the Japanese market.
He was previously head of the product and solutions team at PIMCO Japan, covering client and consultant relationship management and providing portfolio analysis to institutional investors. He started his career with Goldman Sachs Asset Management Japan.
Shiroyama’s appointment is expected to support “the strong increase of interest from Japanese institutional investors”, de Bruijckere said.
