BNP Paribas Asset Management has appointed Steven Billiet as Head of Asia Pacific to succeed Ligia Torres, who is retiring from the firm and will return to Europe in August. Billiet joined BNPP AM earlier this year as Head of Distribution Asia Pacific and will retain his regional distribution responsibilities in addition to his role as head of the region.
Billiet will be responsible for further accelerating the strategic expansion of BNPP AM’s Asia Pacific business, reporting to Sandro Pierri, BNPP AM’s Global Head of Client Group. He is based in Hong Kong and will locally report to Eric Raynaud, Head of BNP Paribas in the Asia Pacific.
The industry veteran held Chief Executive Officer roles for 18 years, from a total of over 25 years within the financial services industry. He was CEO at a number of divisions within global organizations in Australia, India, Singapore, and Taiwan, having most recently held the position of CEO for JP Morgan Asset Management in Singapore, where he oversaw the overall management of the firm’s local set up and all client segments in South East Asia and Korea.
Frédéric Janbon, Chief Executive Officer of BNPP AM, commented: “Steven’s experience in leading asset management firms in the Asia Pacific enables him to have an acute understanding of business development in the region. I have every confidence in his ability to offer our clients the best solutions and services in what is a strategic growth region for BNP Paribas Asset Management. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Ligia, who has been with BNP Paribas for more than 23, including seven with BNP Paribas Asset Management. During her tenure at the firm, she has contributed to significant growth in the region, and played a particularly important role in upholding the firm’s sustainability strategy and enhancing our external visibility on the sustainable investment agenda with our clients.”
Earlier this month, BNP Paribas Asset Management announced the appointment of David Choa as Head of Greater China Equities, where he will be responsible for the governance and oversight of the investment process, from alpha identification, risk management through to trade execution. Based in Hong Kong and reporting to Frédéric Surry, Deputy Head of Fundamental Active Equities, Choa will manage a team of investment professionals and analysts to pursue the firm’s Greater China strategies.
Earlier this year, BNP Paribas Asset Management added Christopher Dunn to its newly formed client, an experienced team, where he joined as the Global Head of Client Satisfaction. Dunn has relocated to Paris, the bank’s headquarters, and is responsible for all the actions that will be undertaken to improve client satisfaction through departmental and regional co-operation. He joined the asset management division of BNP Paribas from Greenwich Associates, a financial services company where he was the Vice President.
In 2019, BNP Paribas AM added three new senior quantitative analysts to its Quant Research Group (QRG) as part of the institution’s quantitative ambitions, including augmenting its fundamental investment processes with quantitative inputs, developing new proprietary ‘quantamental’ portfolio construction techniques and ensuring the continued competitiveness of its factor investing approach through innovative enhancements. The three appointments to the QRG Research Lab are Boris Afanasiev, Benoît Bellone, and Frédéric Abergel. With 30 experts in quantitative investment, the QRG was established in 2017 to centralize BNPP AM’s quantitative research capabilities.
