The latest moves and appointments for senior roles for Asia-Pacific wealth management.

M&G
This week M&G appointed Dr Ryohei Yanagi as its new deputy president of M&G Investments Japan, to enhance the firm’s Japanese equities stewardship capabilities.

Known for his expertise in stewardship and ESG, Yanagi has been appointed to the non-executive role, following a prior period of consultancy with M&G Investments Japan, the firm said in a statement. 

As an advisor to fund manager Carl Vine, Yanagi will share his expertise and insight with M&G’s portfolio companies, spreading the word that M&G wants to become the manager of choice for Japanese companies, the firm added.
 
Yanagi has worked with a broad range of private companies and public institutions, as well as being visiting professor at Waseda University. 

He is well known for the work he has conducted on ESG and stewardship, developing the “Yanagi Model,” a formula designed to show the relationship between ESG factors and corporate value, the firm stressed.
 
M&G has a long history of investing in Japan, with its earliest investments stretching back to 1973. Today, M&G has in excess of ÂŁ5 billion invested in listed Japanese companies in funds managed by Carl Vine and his team, the firm added. 
 
Welcoming the move, Vine, co-head of Asia Pacific equity investment at M&G, said: “Following important governance changes in Japan in recent years, significant opportunity exists to work closely with companies, helping them to become better versions of themselves.” 

“This “value-added shareholdership” creates value not only to the companies in which we invest, but also to our investors,” he stressed.
 
Loretta Ng, head of M&G Asia Pacific, added: “His appointment reflects M&G’s commitment to the Asia-Pacific region and to being a responsible shareholder. It also builds upon the long history of corporate stewardship and engagement that we enjoy with our portfolio companies.” 
 
Yanagi stressed: “With Japan’s corporate governance reform having passed a critical tipping point, there has never been a more opportune time to seek to create value through exemplary stewardship.” 
 
M&G Investments is part of M&G, a savings and investment business which was formed in 2017 through the merger of Prudential plc’s UK and Europe savings and insurance operation. 

Capital Group

Investment company Capital Group this week appointed Vanessa Huang as director of financial intermediaries for Singapore and Southeast Asia.
 
In her role, Huang will work with the financial intermediaries team to expand Capital Group’s intermediary business across Southeast Asia, supporting the firm’s regional distribution strategy. 

Based in Singapore, she reports to Suyin Tan, managing director of financial intermediaries for Singapore and Southeast Asia, who recently joined from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, the firm said in a statement.
 
Huang, who brings a decade’s experience from working with private banking and retail banking clients, is joining from Franklin Templeton, where she was vice president of Southeast Asia distribution sales. 

Prior to that, she worked in distribution and product management roles at BlackRock, Martin Currie and Citibank in Singapore.
 
Welcoming the move, Jeik Sohn, head of client group, Singapore and Southeast Asia, said: “We have recently launched Capital Learning in Asia Pacific and Europe, a unique client-centric training service for institutional and intermediary clients.” 

“Capital Learning shares tailored knowledge and content with clients on investment concepts and trends, as well as providing practice management training modules, equipping clients with relevant knowledge to better help them achieve their investment goals,” he added. 

Asset manager Capital Group, which manages multi-asset, equity, and fixed income investment strategies for different types of investors, oversees around $2.2 trillion in long-term assets.