The Singapore-based financial services firm has made a senior hire.

Singlife with Aviva has appointed Dr Allen Kuo as its group deputy chief investment officer, to provide leadership as Singlife bolsters its asset management capabilities. 

Based in Singapore, Kuo will also oversee the implementation of Singlife’s sustainable investment strategy, reaffirming the company’s ambition of meeting ESG mandates. 

Kuo brings over two decades of investment and risk management experience across multiple asset classes — specialising in quantitative finance and investment risk – accumulated from senior stints in the US, China and Hong Kong, the firm said in a statement. 

Kim Rosenkilde, group chief investment officer, Singlife with Aviva, said: “As Singlife continues to make its presence in leading sustainability in financial services, getting the right talent on board and choosing impact investments is key to accelerating our efforts. I have no doubt that Allen’s wealth of experience will be a great asset to the team and look forward to working closely with him on our investment journey.”

Prior to joining Singlife, Kuo was the director and deputy chief risk officer of University of California’s Regents Chief Investment Office, the pension and endowment arm of the institution. With a career in the financial sector, he has held senior positions at ING Investment Management as head of investment risk management, and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank; he kickstarted one of the first “green” hedge funds in 2006, the firm continued. 

He also has experience in academia as an assistant professor of business education, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Kuo said: “I am truly honoured to be joining Singlife, having seen the tremendous work that the young but dynamic investment team has accomplished in such a short space of time. I look forward to contributing more towards the Singlife mission of not only finding a better way to financial freedom.”

The Singlife Investment Office was established in January 2022 following the formalisation of Singlife with Aviva as a newly-merged entity. The team’s responsibilities include asset allocation, portfolio optimisation, manager selection and product solutions. The office includes Mike Duncan, who joined as senior investment officer as well as Shae Kuek, Mervyn Ng and Dr William Chow who joined as investment officer.  

Singlife has co-seeded several sustainable funds since the start of 2022, committing $50 million (approximately S$68.4 million) to the Altrium Sustainability Fund I, managed by Azalea Investment Management Pte Ltd and indirectly owned by Temasek, as well as €100 million ($104 million) to the Copenhagen Infrastructure Green Credit Fund, the firm said. 

First announced in September 2020 and valued at S$3.2 billion, the merger of Aviva Singapore and Singlife was the largest insurance deal in Singapore and created one of the largest homegrown financial services companies in the republic, the firm continued. Singlife is also an official signatory of the United Nations Principles for Sustainable Insurance.