Fiera Capital Bolsters Strategic Focus on the Japanese Market with Appointment of CJ Morrell as Managing Director, Head of Japan, Fiera Capital Asia
Tokyo & London, 4th April 2024 – Fiera Capital (“Fiera” or “the Company”), a leading independent asset management firm with over USD122 billion AUM as at 31st December 2023, has announced the appointment of CJ Morrell as Managing Director, Head of Japan, Fiera Capital Asia, effective immediately. The newly created role will enable Fiera to increase its strategic focus on the Japanese market during a period of comprehensive economic reform in the country.
Mr. Morrell will report to Rob Petty, CEO of Fiera Capital Asia and will build on the existing Asia team’s profitable business and 23-year history in Singapore, Hong Kong and Korea, the firm is excited to commit further to its existing Japanese clients with a dedicated focus in the country. The new position supports the ongoing rollout of Fiera’s regionalised distribution model and follows the recent appointments of Klaus Schuster, CEO of Fiera EMEA, Eric Roberts, CEO of Fiera USA; Maxime Menard, CEO of Fiera Canada and Alain Meyer, Managing Director, and Head of DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
Mr. Morrell will be responsible for growing Fiera’s presence on the ground and building upon its existing relationships in the market. With over 30 years of experience in the asset management industry including at Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan and Sloane Robinson Asset Management, Mr. Morrell was selected for his in-depth knowledge and experience across Japan, Asia, and public equity markets, as well as his proven leadership ability.
“Mr. Morrell brings a wealth of experience in the asset management business, having both investment and distribution experience, and a personal, long-standing commitment and knowledge of the Japanese market. As a firm, our commitment comes at a time when we are seeing the long-term impact of the government’s ongoing financial reform, the end of the zero-interest rate environment, and thus a long-term opportunity for our active asset management mindset and differentiated strategies to offer Japanese investors our long-term Canadian perspective on investments.” said Rob Petty, CEO of Fiera Capital Asia. “This is particularly the case as institutional and high-net-worth capital shifts to strategies across real assets and equities with inflation-hedging and income generating characteristics, where Fiera Capital is extremely well-placed.”
Priority asset classes for Fiera’s institutional initiatives in Japan will focus on private alternatives, with unleveraged, income-generating private credit a key focus. This includes Fiera’s ANZ Real Estate Debt strategy, a stand-out strategy recognised for its performance with a Preqin’s Award for the Best Credit Strategies Hedge Fund in 2023, as well as Fiera’s Canadian, European and U.S. Real Estate Debt strategies.
Japan also offers a compelling wholesale market for active equity strategies, as individual investors hold USD7.2 trillion or 50 percent of their assets in cash. The Retail Investor 2023/24 Investment Intentions survey lists active foreign equity, global equity, and concentrated long-term equity amongst their top four priorities. Fiera is ideally placed to help fulfil this trend with its well-positioned teams across Small-Mid Cap (SMID) Growth, Fiera OAKS EM Select, Canadian Equity and Fiera Atlas Global Companies.
For example, Fiera’s OAKS EM Select strategy, which invests in a diversified portfolio of smaller emerging markets securities seeking absolute returns. This strategy marked its three-year track record in January 2024, is a standout having outperformed 99% of its peers since its inception according to Bloomberg data.
Morrell’s appointment is the latest milestone in Fiera’s global expansion with the Company announcing the opening of dedicated regional offices in both Zurich, Switzerland, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in February 2024. Certain of the activities to be conducted from the new offices are subject to regulatory approval by FINMA, the Swiss Financial Services Market Supervisory Authority and FSRA, the ADGM Financial Services Regulatory Authority, respectively.
About Fiera Capital Corporation
Fiera Capital is a leading independent asset management firm with a growing global presence and approximately USD122bn in assets under management as at 31st December 2023. Fiera Capital delivers customized and multi-asset solutions across public and private market asset classes to institutional, financial intermediary and private wealth clients across North America, Europe and key markets in Asia. Fiera Capital’s depth of expertise, diversified investment platform and commitment to delivering outstanding service are core to our mission of being at the forefront of the investment management science to foster sustainable prosperity for all our stakeholders. Fiera Capital trades under the ticker FSZ on the Toronto Stock Exchange. www.fieracapital.com (opens in new window)
Headquartered in Montreal, Fiera Capital, with its affiliates in various jurisdictions, has offices in over a dozen cities around the world, including New York (U.S.), London (UK), and Hong Kong (SAR).
Each affiliated entity (each an “Affiliate”) of Fiera Capital only provides investment advisory or investment management services or offers investment funds in the jurisdictions where the Affiliate and/or the relevant product is registered or authorized to provide services pursuant to an exemption from registration.
In the U.S., asset management services are provided by Fiera Capital’s affiliates who are investment advisers that are registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or exempt from registration. Registration with the SEC does not imply a certain level of skill or training. For details on the particular registration of, or exemptions therefrom relied upon by, any Fiera Capital entity, please consult https://www.fieracapital.com/en/registrations-and-exemptions. Additional information about Fiera Capital, including the Company’s annual information form, is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.
Disclosure
The information presented is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be, and should not be construed as, an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any investment product. The information presented in this document, in whole or in part, is not investment, tax, legal or other advice, nor does it consider the investment objectives or financial circumstances of any investor.
This document may contain “forward-looking statements” which reflect the current expectations of Fiera Capital and/or its Affiliates. These statements reflect current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions with respect to future events and are based on information currently available. Although based upon what Fiera Capital and its affiliates believe to be reasonable assumptions, there is no guarantee that actual results, performance, or achievements will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. There is no obligation for Fiera Capital and/or its Affiliates to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.