Manulife Asset Management has expanded its asset allocation investment capabilities with the appointment of Peter Warnes as head of Portfolio Solutions Group (PSG), International.

Based in Hong Kong, Warnes will work closely with the firm’s asset allocation, international sales and relationship management teams to address the increasing demand for asset allocation solutions outside of North America. He will join the company’s Global Asset Allocation Committee and work closely with peers on the global PSG team, which includes more than 20 asset allocation professionals and has more than $119bn in assets under management.

Warnes appointment became effective on August 18. He was previously with JPMorgan Asset Management, where he worked in both the Asia and London offices developing and managing global equity and global multi-asset investment portfolios. Prior to this he worked with Invesco Asset Management after having begun his career at Sun Alliance Investment Management in London.

Michael Dommermuth, president, International Asset Management, Manulife Asset Management, said that since establishing an Asian presence for PSG two years ago the firm has built a solid foundation for providing multi-asset solutions across the region.

The company, said Dommermuth, has gained significant traction in Asia, where it now has over US$5.9bn in asset allocation assets under management (AUM) for clients which include sovereign wealth and pension funds as well as retail clients.

Various retail mixed-asset investment products including structured funds have been launched in markets such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Macau under pension schemes and on mutual fund and insurance-linked platforms.

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