Asia moves: BlackRock picks new Asia head, Credit Suisse boosts regional solutions, and more

BlackRock has appointed Geraldine Buckingham as chair and head of BlackRock Asia-Pacific, succeeding Ryan Stork, who becomes deputy global chief operating officer, based in New York. Both appointments take effect in February 2019 and Buckingham will relocate to Hong Kong from New York. She is global head of corporate strategy at BlackRock and a member of the firm’s global executive committee.

Prior to joining BlackRock in 2014, Buckingham was a partner with McKinsey & Company’s financial services practice based in New York.

Credit Suisse has hired its former head of Asian equity structuring and brought in a senior salesperson from Standard Chartered in a bid to boost its regional solutions business. According to internal announcements seen by Risk.net and confirmed by Credit Suisse, Charles Firth, the bank’s former head of Asia-Pacific equity structuring, has rejoined the Swiss bank as a managing director in the Asia-Pacific solutions sales team. Firth left to co-found Hong Kong-based Rafiki Capital Management with colleague Lucas Kiely in September 2016 after spending seven years at Credit Suisse. He joined the bank in 2009 from UBS, where he was head of Asian equity structuring. He also previously worked in Barclays’ capital solutions sales team.

The Swiss bank has also hired Martin Cher from Standard Chartered, where he was head of financial market sales for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region and Australia, and head of financial markets for Singapore. He joins Credit Suisse as head of solutions sales for the Asean region. Cher has more than 25 years of experience, including 18 years at Goldman Sachs, where he ran the sales business of the bank’s South-east Asia securities division.

Credit Suisse has also moved Clement Florentin, its global head of cross-asset quantitative investment structuring, from London to Hong Kong to head quantitative investment strategies in the region.

UBS has hired Imene Moussa from Credit Suisse to develop and execute quantitative investment strategies and structure off-balance sheet solutions in the Asian region. Moussa joined in November as an executive director in Hong Kong and reports to Felix Maratier, Asia-Pacific head of equities structuring, according to a spokesperson at the Swiss bank. Moussa spent a little more than 11 years at Credit Suisse in London in the equity derivatives and structuring team, according to her LinkedIn profile. Prior to that she spent two years as a structurer and fund manager at Lyxor Asset Management.

UBS Asset Management has appointed Raymond Yin as head of China onshore and managing director, effective December 12. In this new role, Yin will be responsible for leading the execution of UBS AM’s China strategy, including the further build-out of the firm’s onshore wholly foreign-owned enterprises and continued development of the firm’s joint venture with State Development Investment Corporation. He will be based in Shanghai and report to Rene Buehlmann, head of Asia-Pacific, UBS AM. Yin, who has spent 26 years in the financial services industry, was most recently head of the international division for Shanghai Chongyang Investment Management. He spent much of his career at Goldman Sachs, including as head of China equities.

Schroders has appointed Amy Cho as chief executive officer for its Hong Kong business. Cho succeeds Chris Durack who after three years in Hong Kong is returning to Australia to assume the position of chief executive officer Australia at Schroders. Cho joined Schroders on December 3. In addition to the Hong Kong CEO position, she will take on the newly created role of regional head of intermediary clients. Cho, who has more than 25 years of industry experience, joins from Pictet where she was managing director and regional head of business development, Asia-Pacific ex-Japan.

BNP Paribas Securities Services has named Caleb Wong as head of alternative investors in Asia-Pacific, effective November 28. In the newly created position in Singapore, Caleb will lead BNP Paribas Securities Services’ Apac Alternative Investors Client Line teams, seeking to grow its franchise across the hedge fund and private capital sectors in the region. Caleb brings more than 20 years’ experience in banking and finance and was previously managing director at State Street Alternative Investment Solutions, responsible for its limited partners servicing, private equity and real estate administration business in the Apac region. Caleb reports to Mostapha Tahiri, head of institutional investors, Asia Pacific.

Sydney-based asset manager Perennial Value Management has named Mark Tisdell as a senior investment specialist. Tisdell joins Perennial Value following a 20-year career in financial services business development, including senior distribution and product roles at Macquarie Bank, RBS, BNP Paribas and Citibank. In his new role, Tisdell will have accountability for distribution channels in the states of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

Funds solution provider Allfunds has expanded its team in Asia with the appointment of Tuck Meng Yee, as head of investment solutions for Asia. Yee will be based in Singapore, reporting to Alexis Fosler, regional manager for Asia. He brings with him 20 years of experience in the funds and structured product management industry and was previously senior vice-president, alternatives, for Asia-Pacific at Citi Global Wealth Management.