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Asia Wealth Management Executive Roundup – December 2011

Tara Loader Wilkinson and Vanessa Doctor

4 January 2012

Here WealthBriefingAsia lists the movers and shakers of the Asian wealth management industry during December 2011.

Bank of Singapore's chief operating officer and chief financial officer stepped down from their roles, amid a wider shake-up at the OCBC Bank subsidiary. Starting February 2012, current global chief operating officer Daniel Teo will go on a sabbatical after which he will assume a consultancy role with the company. Patrick Goh, who joined the firm in November from OCBC Bank, will become managing director and global chief operating officer. Ambrose Law, the global chief financial officer, has opted for early retirement and will be replaced by Ho So Woon. Ho moved into the company in October from Bank Sarasin-Rabo (Asia). Meanwhile the risk and compliance functions are being split to increase efficiency. Lee Han Chwee was appointed managing director and global head of compliance. Lee joined the company in November from Fortis Bank Singapore, where he served as regional head of compliance private banking, Asia. Leander Jansen retains his current role as managing director and global chief risk officer heading the credit and market risk and operational risk management functions. 

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London-based investment manager Kames Capital opened an office in Hong Kong and named James Cooper from Liminal Image as head of business development for Asia. He reports to Martin Harris, head of distribution.

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Barclays Wealth recruited senior ex-HSBC duo Carol Chen and Michelle Ho for its Greater China wealth management team. Chen moved from UBS in Singapore to become market head for Greater China, while Ho joined from HSBC Private Bank to become senior banker for Greater China. The announcement was concurrent with Januar Tjandra's official assumption of his new role as head of Greater China in 5 December. 

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Swiss private bank Pictet & Cie hired veteran banker Anuj Khanna from Credit Suisse to become regional chief operating officer of private banking in Asia-Pacific. He begins on his new post in 9 January 2012 and will be based in Singapore.

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AXA Investment Managers relocated Herve Lievore, its senior economist for Asia from the UK to Hong Kong as a sign of its commitment to the Asia-Pacific region. Lievore continues to report to Eric Chaney, AXA Group chief economist and AXA IM head of research.

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Two senior executives from UBS' high net worth Philippines business left to take up new roles at archrival Credit Suisse. Angela Bow, the former country head, was appointed managing director and market leader for Credit Suisse's private banking unit, based in Hong Kong, while Albert became managing director and team leader for the Philipppines, also based in Hong Kong. Ma reports to Bow and begins on his new role in 18 January. 

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UBS bolstered its Hong Kong wealth management team with the appointment of Valerie Chou as head of client coverage for the global family office business. Chou joined from the wealth division of Morgan Stanley. Also appointed was Linda Kwo, who assumed the role of country team head for one of the Hong Kong country teams on 1 December. Kwo previously worked for Deutsche Bank and Standard Chartered.

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Rolf Aeberli, Credit Suisse's former chief financial officer, returned after 19 years as chief operating officer of Asia-Pacific private banking. Aeberli is based in Singapore. He reports to Francesco de Ferrari, the recently-appointed deputy head of private banking Asia-Pacific, who assumed his new post on 1 January 2012. Aeberli replaced Anuj Khanna, who left in August to join Pictet. 

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French bank BNP Paribas named a trio of senior executives for its Asian wealth business. Andy Chai assumed the newly-created role of head of Hong Kong market, Marie-Christine Cormier joined as head of credit for Asia-Pacific, while Gerry Xie took the post of head of wealth management China onshore market. Chai used to work for the likes of HSBC and China International Capital, while Xie used to be the head of onshore private banking at Credit Suisse China. Cormier has been with BNP for the past 30 years. 

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Zurich-based private bank Julius Baer appointed Luigi Vignola as regional head Asia for the markets and custody division. He took up his new post on 1 January and replaced Gerard Berclaz who has returned to Switzerland to assume another senior position within the division. 

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Skandia Investment Group, the investment management arm of the UK's Old Mutual Group, named Paco Lee as head of marketing for Asia. Lee has held senior positions at SHK Fund Management, Threadneedle Asset Management, American Express Bank, National Australia Bank and Pegasus Fund Managers.

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JBWere, the Australia and New Zealand wealth manager, appointed Tom Alexy as chief executive of New Zealand. Alexy most recently served as director, head of Asia-Pacific investment consulting at Credit Suisse.

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AMP Capital Investors announced it would merge its manager research team with that of ipac Investment Services as part of restructuring efforts that follow AMP's merger with AXA Asia-Pacific. The creation of an integrated research division is in line with transitional efforts springing from the recently completed merger transaction with AMP which in October this year prompted a review of asset consulting services by multi-manager research teams.

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Fidelity Worldwide Investment, the UK financial services organisation, named Bruno Lee as regional head of retail for Asia ex-Japan. The appointment marks a return to the company for Lee, who had worked at Fidelity's Taiwan office until 2003 within the retail sales, operations and wholesale units.

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Barclays Wealth, the wealth management division of Barclays, named Wellian Wiranto as Asia economist with effect from 19 December 2011. Wiranto was previously as Asian economist of global research at HSBC Bank in Singapore, where he was responsible for the bank's major ASEAN economies, as well as research ideas on China and India.