ASIA, October 4, 2021 – Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ: WLTW), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, today announced the expansion of its Asia Investments team by a third to further strengthen its integrated solutions in advisory and delegated investment services. This is to meet the increasing client demand for practical investment advice and portfolio management solutions in Asia, and will further expand the suite of services offered to clients.
Institutional investors across the region are actively reviewing their portfolios and seeking advice to create investment models that are sufficiently dynamic to withstand post-pandemic economic norms. Additionally, there is growing interest in a range of alternative investments and private markets solutions. Embedding ESG into investment strategies, achieving net-zero targets and preparing for upcoming reporting initiatives, have led firms to pursue a more holistic and agile approach to their investments, people and business models.
According to data from the Thinking Ahead Institute (TAI), assets under management (AUM) in Asia Pacific pension funds grew by 13.9% in 2020.1 This growth in AUM, despite the headwinds caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, shows the increasing need for sophisticated investment solutions to best manage the wealth being generated in the region.
Commenting on the growth of the team, Jayne Bok, Head of Investments for Asia at Willis Towers Watson, said: “Globally, 10 million savers rely on our investment advice and 1.3 million savers benefited from our delegated solutions. In Asia, asset owners are increasingly turning to us for multi-disciplinary advice and dynamic solutions to manage their portfolios in a constantly evolving economic environment.
Asia has always been an important market for us, and we are responding to the growing demand from our existing pension and sovereign wealth fund clients, as well as from insurance companies, endowments and family offices by investing further in the region. Hiring new talent and strengthening our team’s capabilities across diverse dimensions reflects our commitment to helping clients achieve sustainable and better investment outcomes and maintain their competitive edge. We are very excited to welcome all our new joiners to the team.”
The new appointments enlarge Willis Towers Watson’s expertise across several asset classes and services, including investing in China. Based in Hong Kong, the new colleagues include: Liang Yin, Director of Manager Research, Private Equity and China specialist, who has recently transferred to Hong Kong from TAI in the UK; Eleanor Wang, Associate, who joins the Manager Research team; Raymond Kwong, Director, and Jason Zeall, Associate Director, both join the Client Consulting team, along with two associates who will also join the Client Consulting team in October.
Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ: WLTW) is a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth. With roots dating to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has 45,000 employees serving more than 140 countries and markets. We design and deliver solutions that manage risk, optimize benefits, cultivate talent, and expand the power of capital to protect and strengthen institutions and individuals. Our unique perspective allows us to see the critical intersections between talent, assets and ideas — the dynamic formula that drives business performance. Together, we unlock potential.
1 Source: Thinking Ahead Institute’s Global Pension Assets Study 2021 https://www.thinkingaheadinstitute.org/research-papers/the-worlds-largest-pension-funds-2021/
