Morningstar Australia has seen the exit of another long-time top-level executive with the departure of Asia-Pacific director of manager research ratings, Aman Ramrakha, with his role disestablished last week.
Several key members have left the Australian arm of the research house, which also services NZ clients, in the wake of a restructure late last year.
APAC director of manager research ratings, Tim Murphy, was first to go last December followed by chief executive, Jamie Wickham, in May this year. Murphy and Wickham were Morningstar Australia veterans, serving 15 and 17 years, respectively, with the firm.
Chris Galloway, Morningstar APAC head of investment manager, replaced Wickham as Australia and NZ country head, reporting to the US-based head of the recently formed Wealth Management Solutions division, Daniel Needham.
Under the Morningstar makeover last year, the manager research arm was folded into the investment team headed by Matt Wacher.
In a statement, Wacher thanked Ramrakha “for all his contribution over the last five years and we wish him all the best in the next step of his career”.
Ramrakha would not be replaced, Morningstar says.
He joined the investment researcher in 2018 following a long career in the Australian financial services industry including stints at Aon, KPMG, Commonwealth Bank and BT Financial Group.
Also last week, Stewart Investors named Elizabeth Trinh as APAC head of institutional distribution.
Trinh comes to Stewart from American Century Investments where she was most recently served as head of APAC.
The sustainable global equities specialist, part of the First Sentier Investors group, has been on a growth trajectory in the institutional sector in Asia-Pacific, according to Hugh O’Neill, Stewart Investors business head.
“The increasing demand we are seeing from institutional investors in the region for quality, sustainability focussed investment strategies coupled with Ms Trinh’s in-depth knowledge and solid track record means this is an incredibly exciting time for us.”
Trinh will move to Singapore from Hong Kong for the Stewart role.
The Edinburgh-headquartered Stewart, which also has offices in London, New York and Sydney, has been active in the NZ market too, launching a portfolio investment entity version of its core global equities strategy last year. Stewart picked up an international shares mandate for the fast-growing Aurora KiwiSaver scheme this August.
Back in NZ, the Wellington-based Annuitas is on the hunt for a schemes manager – a varied back-office role, reporting to general manager schemes, Philippa Drury.
“We are looking for an enthusiastic and versatile person to join our small team in managing these schemes,” the Annuitas recruitment blurb says. “We are seeking a candidate who is passionate about looking after members’ interests and understands the challenges and opportunities of providing schemes management services and exceptional service to a variety of stakeholders.”
Annuitas, which manages the $5 billion plus Government Superannuation Fund and the almost $2 billion National Provident Fund has restocked its staff following a rash of departures over the previous 12 months or so.
In July the group filled its final investment vacancy with the appointment of Anthony Halls as chief investment officer. Halls was previously CIO of Mint Asset Management.