Rohan Singh has left Northern Trust, where he was head of Asia Pacific for both securities servicing and asset management for the past two years, and is rumoured to be headed to BNY Mellon.
Singh is understood to be about to take up the role of Asia Pacific regional head for BNY Mellon’s securities servicing business. He said he was unable to comment when contacted last week.
Prior to moving back to Singapore in 2015, Singh headed up Northern’s Australian business from Melbourne, overseeing its rapid growth and diversification across a range of large and small super funds and fund managers. The firm had established itself in Australasia off the back of its first two clients – both sovereign wealth funds – NZ Super and the Future Fund.
Singh, who was also previously head of sales for Citi in Australia, had been Northern’s regional head of sales for securities servicing in Singapore. It is believed he will remain in Singapore for the top job at BNY Mellon.
BNY Mellon, which is the world’s largest custodian bank, has had a tough time in Asia Pacific over the past few years. It lost its largest client relationship, as the global custodian for NAB Asset Servicing, to Citi and had several senior staff departures in both Australia and Asia.
The Singh rumour set tongues wagging in Australia last week because it was thought it might signal that BNY Mellon could be about to do a deal with another big Australian institution or to enter the master-custody business in its own right.
Greg Bright is publisher of Investor Strategy News (Australia)