Baring Asset Management has announced that is has appointed Wayne Shum to the newly created role of Head of Institutional Business for Asia. Based in Hong Kong, Shum reports to Gerry Ng, Head of Sales, Client Service and Business Development, Asia ex Japan.

Shum is responsible for sales and business development across the institutional client base, including sovereign wealth funds, government and private institutions and pension-related prospects in Asia excluding Japan.

Shum has over twenty-three years’ experience in the financial sector ranging from investment analysis and consultancy, to leading institutional business development projects. Shum joins from HSBC Global Asset Management (Hong Kong) where he led the development of regional business with central banks, government agencies, sovereign wealth funds, public reserves, state pension and social security funds
and supranational organisations. Previously, at Franklin Templeton, he led the firm’s institutional business development effort in the Asia ex Japan region. Prior to this he held several roles at Mercer Investment Consulting, Hong Kong.

Gerry Ng, Head of Sales, Client Service and Business Development, Asia ex Japan, comments, “We are very pleased to welcome Wayne to Barings. His impressive breadth and depth of experience and his knowledge of the client base will be particularly valuable in delivering Barings' areas of expertise to the Asia ex Japan institutional market. This senior role will build on the progress we have already made in this market and ensure the continued growth of the business. Asia Pacific has long been a core business area for us, indeed Barings was one of the first asset management houses to open an office in Hong Kong way back in 1976 and as at 30 June 2010 we manage £5.6bn in assets from clients in this region.”