Nikko Asset Management has hired a head of international product development from UK wealth manager Coutts.

Nikko Asset
Management has hired a head of international product development, covering
every region except Japan, coming on the heels of the firm’s recent foray into
India through a joint venture.

Geoffrey Post joins from UK wealth
manager Coutts, where he also headed product development. Before this, Post was responsible
for the international mutual fund range at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. He
has also held audit roles at SG Warburg and Price Waterhouse, specialising in
the asset management sector.

Post will work closely with Nikko AM’s
investment, sales and product development teams in Asia ex-Japan, Europe and
the US, to help build the international mutual fund range. He is based in
London and reports to Nikko AM Europe president, Charlie Metcalfe.

“Delivering international products to international
investors will be a major new initiative for Nikko AM in 2012.Nikko AM has developed a skill in
creating and managing products that address Japanese investors’ search for
yield. These types of products are expected to become more attractive across
broader markets given the current investment climate and we shall continue to
look at opportunities to expand our product range in line with investor demand,”
Metcalfe said in a statement.

The hire follows
the news of a joint venture agreement between Nikko Asset Management and India-based Ambit
Holdings. The deal will add offices in Mumbai and Mauritius to Nikko AM’s global
footprint, bringing  the group to a total
of 20 offices across eleven countries including Japan, China, Singapore,
Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, Mauritius, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the US.

Nikko
AM, the largest regional asset manager in Asia, has been in aggressive acquisition
mode over the last 12 months. It acquired Tyndall Investments in Australia and
New Zealand, as well as DBS Asset Management last year, from DBS Bank. The
transactions have boosted the group’s assets under management to more than $157
billion.

The group’s London-based marketing team
was also recently bolstered earlier this month with the appointment of Steven
Balcombe, from Henderson Global Investors.