Global asset manager Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) has opened a Singapore office and made numerous hires to its distribution team in Asia as part of its growth strategy for the region and to meet the growing demand for its investment solutions.
LGIM, which has been in the region for 10 years, having opened offices in Hong Kong in 2012 and Tokyo in 2017, says the Singapore office will serve to expand LGIM’s coverage for existing and prospective clients in the region. The business is led by Natasha Mora, managing director, Asia ex Japan, who has held senior roles across L&G Group and LGIM since she joined the firm in 2006.
Of the new Asia hires, Gerald Koh, who will report to Mora, has been appointed as head of wholesale Asia (ex-Japan). Koh will lead the development of LGIM’s wholesale business across Asia and is responsible for client acquisition and support across private banks, wealth managers and other intermediaries.
In addition, Heston Goh has joined the company as its sales director for Southeast Asia institutions, adding depth to the firm’s coverage of institutional asset owners in the region. He reports into Jackson Loi, head of institutional sales for Asia ex Japan.
Singapore is also home to the asset manager’s newly established Asia ex-Japan investment stewardship team, which will spearhead the firm’s investment engagement activities and environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities across the region, and be led by Trista Chen. Prior to joining LGIM, Chen worked for global sustainability consultancy firm ERM. She reports to Michael Marks, head of responsible investment integration.
“While we have been servicing institutional clients in the Asia-Pacific region for over a decade, our new office in Singapore will add depth, business capability, investment expertise and brand profile in Asia, complementing our existing presence in Hong Kong and Tokyo,” says Michelle Scrimgeour, the company’s CEO. “Due to the city-state’s regional influence and connectivity worldwide, opening an office in Singapore is an important milestone in our international growth strategy. This new local office allows us to pursue new business opportunities and will elevate our ESG advocacy across Asia.”
