Investments

Schroders announces leadership changes in Asia Pacific

Schroders has announced senior leadership appointments in its Asia Pacific business as the Group continues to deliver on its ambitious growth strategy across Asia Pacific.

Aftrer more than 17 years with Schroders, Susan Soh, CEO of Asia Pacific, will retire from the firm at the end of this year. Susan leaves with a long track record of success in the key roles she has held, including a very strong period of business growth as CEO of Singapore and South-East Asia. Susan is a recognised leader in the industry, holding a number of public positions, including Chairman of the Investment Management Association of Singapore (IMAS) and Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Banking & Finance (IBF). Susan will remain in a part-time Senior Advisor role at Schroders.

Succeeding Susan in the role of CEO of Asia Pacific is Chris Durack, who re-joins Schroders. Chris previously spent ten years at Schroders in various leadership roles, including CEO, Hong Kong, CEO, Australia and most recently, as Co-Head of Asia Pacific. Chris will assume the role from January 2023 and will be based in Singapore.

After four years of driving growth in the Hong Kong business and contributing to the APAC Distribution initiatives, Amy Cho, CEO, Hong Kong and Deputy Head of Asia Pacific, has decided to pursue her aspirations and personal interests outside the company. Amy will transition her responsibilities from early January 2023.

Gopi Mirchandani, currently CEO and Head of Client Group Asia at NN Investment Partners (NNIP), will be appointed CEO, Hong Kong, reporting to Chris Durack, with effect from mid-January 2023. Additionally, Gopi will take on the newly created role of Head of Strategy, Asia Pacific, where she will work with the leadership team to identify new business opportunities and partnerships to accelerate growth across the region. A lawyer by training, Gopi held senior legal and compliance roles in the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Deutsche Asset Management and Fullerton Fund Management prior to taking on broader business roles.

Szu Yi Chin was appointed to the newly created role of Head of Distribution, Asia Pacific on 1 October 2022. Based in Singapore, she will work closely with our distribution, product and marketing teams in the region to drive the sales agenda and help fulfil our ambition to be our clients’ trusted advisor. Szu Yi was previously with Schroders for 12 years, where she was responsible for the Mutual Funds business in Singapore and Malaysia. She spent the past eight years with Fidelity International, where her last position was Chairman and Head of Taiwan.

Amanda Irving, currently Head of Marketing for Australia, has been appointed Head of Marketing, APAC, with effect from November 2022. Currently based in Sydney, Amanda will relocate to Singapore in January 2023. She replaces Michelle Han, who has moved to London to take up the role of Global Head of Growth and Digital Marketing. Amanda has 20 years of financial services marketing experience and was Marketing Director at BT Financial Group prior to joining Schroders.

 

Peter Harrison, Group Chief Executive, Schroders, commented: “The Asia Pacific region is a key part of Schroders’ growth strategy, and we are proud to have a line-up of strong senior leaders in the region to sustain our business momentum. We have been fortunate to have a leader of Susan Soh’s calibre for the past 17 years, and whilst Susan will remain as a Senior Advisor to our business, we wish her well in her retirement from executive responsibilities. I am pleased to welcome Chris Durack back to the Schroders family. With a decade-long tenure at Schroders and a wealth of industry knowledge, Chris is ideally placed to lead the Asia Pacific region and ensure the ongoing success of our business.”

 

Lieven Debruyne, Global Head of Distribution, Schroders, commented: “With the appointment of Chris Durack and the strength of his leadership team in the Asia Pacific region, I am confident we will continue to deliver leading global and local investment solutions to our clients across the region. To help drive our strategy forward, Schroders warmly welcomes Gopi Mirchandani and Szu Yi Chin to our business and Amanda Irving to Singapore. We thank Amy Cho for leading a successful business in Hong Kong over the last four years amidst the incredibly challenging environment and market conditions and for her broader contributions to the region in her Deputy Head role. We wish her the best in her new pursuits.”