Old Mutual Global Investors
OMGI, part of Old Mutual Wealth, has hired Richard Mo fill to the newly created position of head of China business. Based in Hong Kong, Mo will report to Carol Wong, managing director of OMGI Asia Pacific.
In his new role, Mo will be responsible for developing relationships with regulators, global financial institutions and distributers in the region. He joins from JP Morgan Asset Management where he worked for 16 years, having most recently headed up the firm’s China retail business.
Newton Investment Management
After 15 years as chief executive of Newton IM, Helena Morrissey is to step down and assume the role of non-executive chair of the firm’s board of directors.
Morrissey’s successor has been named as Hanneke Smits, who has been appointed to the board of directors and as chief executive designate. Smits’ career spans more than 20 years in financial services, most recently serving as chief investment officer of Adams Street Partners.
As non-executive chair, Morrissey will continue to serve as an adviser to Newton and will represent Newton and BNY Mellon Investment Management within the financial services sector.
Rathbones
Investment manager services firm Rathbones has appointed Sanjiv Tumkur as head of equity research, based in London. He reports to head of research Elizabeth Savage and will be responsible for developing and promoting Rathbones’ equity investment philosophy and process.
Tumkur joins Rathbones from Investec Wealth & Investment, where he was a senior equity analyst, primarily responsible for sector coverage in large caps across the UK, Europe and the US. He brings with him 20 years of experience in research and fund management, having previously worked for Morgan Grenfell (later Deutsche Asset Management) and Alliance Bernstein.
Standard Life Investments
The global investment manager has strengthened its environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment team with the recruitment of Marc Brammer and Sophie Rahm as responsible investment analysts.
Brammer joins from Inflection Point Capital Management and Rahm joins from Schroders.
Reporting to Amanda Young, head of responsible investment, both will play an important role in the further integration of responsible investment considerations into the wider investment process and engaging with companies on environmental and social issues. They are also part of the team that manages the criteria for SLI’s UK range of ethical funds.
Kames Capital
Kames has hired Robin Black as an investment manager within the firm’s Edinburgh-based equities team. He brings with him 21 years’ financial services experience and joins from Macquarie where he worked as a managing director of the investment banking and financial services group’s Hong Kong division.
Black will be responsible for augmenting the team managing global equity mandates, with a particular focus on Japan. He will report to Stephen Adams, head of equities.
Further, the firm has hired Martin Weiss as business development manager within the firm’s European wholesale distribution team. He joins from Pioneer Investments where he was a client and sales relationship manager responsible for Germany, Austria, and Italy.
Reporting into Richard Dixon, head of continental European wholesale at Kames, Weiss will cover accounts across Germany, including wealth managers, financial advisers, fund-of-funds, family offices, fund platforms and banks.
Vontobel Asset Management
Swiss banking group Vontobel has hired Naohiko Tabei as executive director of institutional clients and consultant relations to grow the group’s Japanese operations. He will be based in Hong Kong.
Tabei joins from PineBridge Investments where he was responsible for advising and acquiring new business from financial institutions. He previously worked as head of institutional fund sales at Schroders Investment Management.
National Bank of Abu Dhabi
Alex Thursby, group chief executive of NBAD, has stepped down after more than three years in the role and before a planned merger with First Gulf Bank, which will create the biggest bank in the Mena region and is due to be completed in the first quarter of 2017.
Abhijit Choudhury, NBAD’s group chief risk officer, has been appointed as acting chief executive with immediate effect.
EdenTree Investment Management
EdenTree has strengthened its global equity capabilities with the appointment of David Osfield. Working alongside chief investment officer Robin Hepworth, Osfield will co-manage the EdenTree Amity International Fund.
Osfield, who joined the firm in July 2016, began his career at Alliance Trust in 2002 and has held a range of responsibilities across global equity portfolios over his 14-year career. Most recently he was an investment manager in the firm’s global equity team.
Value Partners
Hong Kong-based independent asset management firm Value Partners has named Roger Hepper group chief operating officer, tasked with leading and enhancing the firm’s business operations and risk controls. He brings with his extensive experience in building infrastructure and internal control systems for asset management firms in Asia.
Value appointed Kenny Tjan in June as country head to manage the firm’s Singapore business. Tjan has experience managing Asia Pacific and global emerging markets equity portfolios. He will be responsible for developing the group’s investment capabilities in these areas.