Vontobel Asset Management has appointed an executive director for institutional clients and consultant relations to support its ongoing growth in Japan.
Before taking on his new role, Naohiko Tabei worked at PineBridge Investments where he was responsible for advising and acquiring new business from financial institutions including big banks, insurers and specialized financial institutions and for advising large Japanese pension funds as head of institutional business. Prior to that, he was head of institutional fund sales at Schroders Investment Management, according to a statement from Switzerland-based banking group Vontobel.
Since establishing a presence in Hong Kong in 2009, the company has built a strong and growing presence in Asia Pacific, with client assets of more than $10 billion. With the hiring of Tabei, Vontobel will further broaden its client coverage in the Japanese institutional market with an emphasis on banks and insurance companies alongside its pension-fund business.
Strong Demand From Japanese Financial Institutions
«As the search for yield continues unabated, there is a strong demand from Japanese financial institutions for diversifying portfolios away from Japanese government bonds,» said Juerg Fritschi, deputy head at Vontobel Asia Pacific, adding that «banks seek to strengthen their capabilities in investment-grade corporates and look for reliable foreign partners in this field. On the equity side, Japanese pension funds and institutions are giving more attention to integrated ESG (environmental, social and governance) strategies.»
According to the memo, Vontobel offers outstanding expertise in both areas and the company is able to bring these capabilities to the demanding Japanese market with this appointment.
Based in Hong Kong
Tabei, who will be based in Hong Kong, is responsible for managing relationships with financial institutions and consultants, and developing new distribution partnerships for the Swiss asset manager.
