Standard Chartered, Citi Private Bank and BNP Paribas were among a number of firms making senior hires in March. Meanwhile, March saw more changes at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

MFS Investment Management hired Chopin Zhou as the director of business development and relationship management for China of its wholly-owned subsidiary, MFS Financial Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co Ltd. Zhou reports to Jonathan Tiu, senior managing director, Asia, at MFS, and is based in Shanghai at the office MFS opened in August last year. 

Zhou has over 16 years of industry experience and was deputy head of institutional and international business at SWS MU Fund Management prior to joining MFS. Before that, he was deputy head of institutional business at Franklin Templeton Sealand Fund Management, and the head of capital market research at Accenture Shanghai. He began his career with HSBC Group in China and Canada.

BNP Paribas appointed Vikas Jaidka as the new head of Non-Resident Indian (NRI) clients. Based in Singapore, reporting into Samir Bimal, head of Indian markets, Jaidka leads the NRI teams in Hong Kong and Singapore. Jaidka replaced Masroor Batin who moved to take on new responsibilities at the WM Middle East and Africa market. Prior to joining BNP Paribas Wealth Management, Jaidka held senior positions at Citibank and was responsible for establishing and developing the bank’s NRI business across Asia-Pacific as well as in the UK, the United Arab Emirates and Africa.

A raft of senior executives at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which has been hit by regulatory woes, left the lender. Melanie Laing, group executive for human resources, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, group executive, institutional banking and markets, and David Whiteing, group executive, enterprise services and chief information officer, left the bank. 

State Street Global Advisors appointed Kathleen Gallagher as head of exchange-traded funds model portfolios for Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Reporting to Rory Tobin, global head of SPDR ETFs and based in London, Gallagher is responsible for overseeing State Street Global Advisors’ multi-asset class investment operation. Prior to joining SSGA, Gallagher spent five years consulting at various financial firms with a focus on multi asset class investments including BlackRock and Barclays Global Investors.

Deutsche Bank named a new chief country officer for Hong Kong, Lok Yim. Yim took on this new position in addition to his current role as head of wealth management for Asia-Pacific. He replaced Peter Lo, who is retiring from Deutsche Bank after 15 years. In his new role, Yim reports to Werner Steinmüller, CEO for Asia-Pacific at Deutsche Bank, and continues to report to global head of wealth management, Fabrizio Campelli. He is responsible for the management and governance of all of the bank’s business and operations in Hong Kong.

State Street Global Advisors, the asset management business of State Street Corporation, appointed Rory Tobin as global head of its SPDR exchange-traded fund business. Nick Good, previously co-head of the SPDR ETF business, was appointed as State Street’s chief growth and strategy officer. Tobin joined State Street Global Advisors in 2014 from Barclays Wealth & Investment Management, where he served as chief executive of Barclays Asset Management and was global head of investments and solutions. He continues to report to Cyrus Taraporevala, president and chief executive officer of State Street Global Advisors.

Good is responsible for working with State Street’s management committee and board of directors to develop long-term business growth, strengthen the company’s business partnerships and drive continued innovation and solutions for clients.  

Bedell Cristin appointed Craig Paynter as a senior associate in the firm’s Singapore office. Paynter joined from Gowling WLG where he was the principal associate in the Singapore private client team. He is a dual qualified Solicitor, admitted to advise on the laws of both England & Wales and the British Virgin Islands. 

Standard Chartered changed its business reporting lines, including private banking, following the decision by Anna Marrs, who had been regional chief executive of commercial and private banking, to leave the UK-listed lender.

Marrs, regional chief executive, ASEAN and South Asia (ASA) and CEO, commercial and private banking, was due to leave on 9 September. Marrs continued her handover of regional responsibilities to Judy Hsu, CEO, Singapore and ASEAN markets. Hsu took over as regional CEO, ASA, subject to regulatory approval and remained CEO, Singapore until a successor was appointed.

Commercial banking reports into Simon Cooper, CEO, corporate and institutional banking. Standard Chartered said country CEOs continues to drive client relationships, and commercial banking remains a distinct business in Cooper’s portfolio. Jiten Arora, regional head, CB, ASEAN and South Asia, took interim responsibility for the CB business, with a permanent head to be appointed in due course.
Didier von Daeniken continues to run private banking and wealth management. For his wealth responsibilities, he reports to Ben Hung, regional CEO, Greater China and North Asia and CEO, retail banking. Hung works with von Daeniken and the retail team to further align strategies between these businesses. For his private banking responsibilities, Daeniken reports to Tracy Clarke, regional CEO, Europe and Americas. Marrs steps down from the group’s management team on 31 May.

Bank of Singapore named Derrick Tan chief executive of its Hong Kong operation. The private banking arm of OCBC said Sermon Kwan, former Hong Kong CEO, remains a senior advisor “to ensure a smooth transition”. Tan leads the bank’s strategy in Greater China and North Asia with a particular focus on the Greater Bay area, which China plans to make the world’s largest bay area in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030.

Standard Chartered appointed Nakul Beri as managing director, global South Asian community, private banking. Based in Singapore, he reported to Vishal Jain, managing director and market head, South and South East Asia, private banking. Beri joined the firm J Safra Sarasin, where he was a managing director.

HSBC Insurance (Singapore) appointed Carlos Vazquez as its new chief executive. He succeeded Ian Martin, who will be assuming a new global role in HSBC Group Insurance based in London. Vazquez joined HSBC Insurance (Singapore) from Manulife (Singapore) where, as chief product officer, he oversaw product management and pricing. In Asia, Vazquez also served as CPO for Manulife Indonesia.

Bank of Singapore named Derrick Tan chief executive of its Hong Kong operation. The private banking arm of OCBC said Sermon Kwan, former Hong Kong CEO, remained a senior advisor “to ensure a smooth transition”. Tan leads the bank’s strategy in Greater China and North Asia with a particular focus on the Greater Bay area, which China plans to make the world’s largest bay area in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030. The leadership change was announced just days after Bank of Singapore appointed Anthony Simcic as managing director of its international team.

Citi Private Bank appointed Catherine Cheung as Asia-Pacific strategist. Based in Hong Kong, she works with the bank’s product partners and is responsible for promoting its investment strategy across the region to internal stakeholders and ultra-high net worth clients. She reports to chief investment strategist Ken Peng.
 

Citi Private Bank appointed Catherine Cheung as Asia-Pacific strategist. Cheung is based in Hong Kong and reports to Ken Peng, Citi Private Bank’s APAC chief investment strategist. Prior to joining Citi Private Bank, Cheung was head of portfolio advisory at Citi’s global consumer bank in Hong Kong.

In her new role, Cheung is responsible for promoting the private bank’s investment strategy content for Asian markets across the different asset classes to both its ultra-high net worth clients and internal stakeholders, working with the global strategy team.

EFG appointed Thomas Jost as head of asset management business development, months after he departed his executive director position at Julius Baer. In his new role, Jost is responsible for building out EFG’s international asset management business. He reports to Oliver Balmelli, EFG’s deputy chief executive officer and co-head of private banking, Singapore.

Jeffery Sung joined Morgan Stanley at executive director level, having spent almost a decade at DBS. In his former role, Sung was a senior director on the China desk of its private bank. Sung had been a relationship manager at DBS’s Treasures arm, focusing on Malaysia and Thailand from Singapore and worked for the Singapore-listed bank for more than six years, joining the private banking arm of DBS in 2015. 

State Street Corporation appointed Lisa Lou as country head of global services China and general manager of its Beijing branch. Based in Beijing, Lou is responsible for managing the State Street’s global services business and leading the firm’s China strategy. Lou reports to Richard Fogarty, senior vice president, head of global services North Asia. She has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. She most recently worked at JP Morgan Chase Bank China, where she was head of financial institutions and public sector clients for China and general manager of its Beijing branch. Prior to that, Lou held a number of senior management roles in Standard Chartered Bank China and HSBC Australia.

Deutsche Asset Management appointed Alex François as director of sales for asset management in the firm’s global client group for Australia and New Zealand. Based in Sydney, François concentrates on Deutsche Asset Management’s public markets capabilities, including equities and multi asset. François reports to Lidia Tomova, head of of GCG, Australia and New Zealand. With more than 25 years of experience in sales and distribution across institutional and wholesale markets, François was most recently head of institutional distribution, Australia & New Zealand at William Blair Investment Management. Prior to this, François held senior positions at Provident Capital, Principal Global I investors Australia, Schroders and ING NZ.

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission re-appointed Julia Leung as executive director (intermediaries), taking on an added role of deputy chief executive at the regulator for a three-year stint. Leung assists the CEO in major policy areas as well as on longer-term strategy. Leung joined the SFC three years ago, overseeing the investment products division, and became executive director of the intermediaries division in 2016.

Chicago-headquartered real estate investing firm LaSalle Investment Management Keith Fujii as chief executive and president of Japan. Based in Tokyo, Fujii leads the LaSalle platform for investments in core-oriented strategies in Japan. He becomes representative director and president of LaSalle Investment Management. Fujii has over 25 years of real estate investment and banking experience. He has held roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Grove International Partners and Shinsei Bank. He joins LaSalle Investment Management from Ishin Hotel Group, where he was CEO. The current Japan CEO, Yas Nakashima, continues to be a representative director of LaSalle Investment Management and will also continue to support LaSalle’s Japan logistics platform.

State Street Global Advisors, the asset management business of State Street Corporation, appointed James MacNevin, chief operating officer for Asia-Pacific, as head of its Asia Pacific business. MacNevin replaced Lochiel Crafter, who was named head of the global institutional group with responsibility for State Street Global Advisors’ institutional distribution across the globe. In his new role, MacNevin oversees State Street Global Advisors’ business across the Asia-Pacific region. Based in Sydney, MacNevin reports directly to Crafter. He has more than 30 years of asset management industry experience. He joined State Street Global Advisors in 1994. Prior to his role as APAC chief operating officer, MacNevin served as international head of operations and technology based in London.

Financial services firm Capital Group appointed James Blair to lead its fixed income strategy in Asia-Pacific as head of fixed income investment services APAC. This was a newly created role. Blair is responsible for managing fixed income distribution within the APAC region, providing strategic advice on asset allocation to clients and implementing fixed income offerings to investors in the region. He is based in Singapore. He joined from UBS, where he led the regional fixed income specialist team and managed Australian fixed income investment strategy.

Global financial services firm Northern Trust appointed Angelo Calvitto as head of its Australasia business – comprising Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. He succeeded Madeleine Senior, who assumed a leadership role in Northern Trust’s London office. He joined Northern Trust in 2008 and was most recently head of sales for Northern Trust’s institutional business across APAC. Calvitto responsible for leading Northern Trust’s business in Australasia providing asset servicing, asset management and capital markets solutions to sophisticated institutional and investment manager clients. He reports to William Mak, head of Asia-Pacific.