Russell Investments, a global investment and financial services company, has appointed Mahendran Nathan as CEO of its Southern Asia business covering Asean nations, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The development is part of a move where Russell Investments has split its Asia-Pacific operations into three zones for greater focus in the sub-regions.
US-based Russell is looking to build up its Indian exposure. It had $174 billion in assets under management as of September 30 and serves individual, institutional and adviser clients including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Prudential Assurance, and Barclays.
It was also reportedly raising multiple funds for Asia specially targeting investments in China and India. In particular, it has been looking to more than double its exposure in Asia property business by 2011 as compared to just $300 million as of 2008.
Nathan, who left Wealth Management Asia, a boutique consultancy he founded in 2005 recently, will be based in Singapore. Prior to Wealth Management, he was chief executive for Asia ex-Japan and Australia at Société Générale Asset Management, where he was responsible for fund-raising in both institutional and retail markets as well as product development in traditional and alternative asset classes.
Russell Asia-Pacific chairman Alan Schoenheimer Schoenheimer said, “over the last few years, we have found that we need to provide our clients in the Asia-Pacific with an increasingly diverse mix of investment solutions as they continue to seek improved efficiencies. This new structure enables us to have a much greater focus on each of these important markets.”
As part of the rejig, Bruce Pflaum will remain in Tokyo and focus on North Asia, incorporating Japan, China and Korea while Chris Corneil will continue as head of Australia and New Zealand. All three sub-regions will report to Asia-Pacific chairman Alan Schoenheimer. Russell had earlier split the Asia-Pac region by separating Australia-New Zealand out of the broader region.
