Our Company

Nikko Asset Management
History
Leadership
Awards
Global Offices
Careers

Nikko Asset Management is one of Asia’s largest asset managers, with 284.4bn USD* under management, providing high-conviction, active fund management across a range of Equity, Fixed Income and Multi-Asset strategies. In addition, our complementary range of passive strategies covers more than 20 indices and includes some of Asia’s largest exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

In the pursuit of excellence, we approach everything we do with an entrepreneurial mindset. This enables us to think differently, transforming intelligent insights into innovative, relevant investment opportunities for our clients. Leveraging our unique combination of a global perspective complemented by our Asian DNA, we aspire to create sophisticated and diverse solutions that set new standards in the asset management industry.

*As of 31 Dec 2020

Learn more about what makes Nikko AM unique.

A snapshot of Nikko AM's history is provided above.
Explore an expanded look at Nikko AM's history here.

See a complete lineup of our leadership.

Nikko AM's range of specialist Asian equity, fixed income and ETF investment products have been singled out for distinction by consultants and financial media across the globe. We appreciate this recognition and strive to remain the leading Asia-based asset management company, by delivering consistent outperformance and high quality client service.

A full list of awards can be found here.

See a more detailed description of Nikko AM's global offices.

While Nikko Asset Management has over half a century of experience in the marketplace, we have an entrepreneurial culture that is building strong global investment capability in equity, fixed income, multi-asset and alternatives.

Headquartered in Asia for 60⁺ years*, the firm represents more than 200 investment professionals* and 28 nationalities* across 11 countries*. More than 300 banks, brokers, financial advisors and life insurance companies around the world distribute the company’s products.

Our talent strategy is to recruit and retain the performance-driven leaders and technical specialists who are experts locally, think globally, and can help us expand quickly in this growing industry.

*As of 31 Dec 2020

Nikko Securities Investment Trust and Management Co., Ltd. Established December 1959		Nikko International Capital Management Co., Ltd. Established September 1981
Tokyo office opens	1959
First investment trust launches the Nikko Bond Fund	1961
	1981	Tokyo office opens
New York office opens	1984
London office opens	1987	Registers as investment adviser and becomes licensed for discretionary asset management
Singapore office opens	1990	Company enters corporate pension fund market

Nikko Securities Investment Trust & Management Co., Ltd. and Nikko International Capital Management Co., Ltd. merge
Nikko Asset Management Co., Ltd. (Nikko AM) Established April 1999
1999		Launches first SRI fund in Japan^*1
2000		Signs the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Statement by Financial Institutions on Environmental & Sustainable Development, in line with Nikko AM's approach to responsible investment
2001		Launches Japan's first investment in-kind ETF (Nikkei 225 index tracker)^*1
2003		Becomes first Japanese asset manager to gain Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII) status in China^*1
2005		Launches world's first China A Shares Equity fund outside of China^*2 Wins Reuters' Lipper Award for Best Fund Group — the first of many industry awards
2007		Invests in Chinese asset manager Rongtong Fund Management Co., Ltd., holding 40% in a joint venture partnership
2008		Launches Nikko AM Fund Academy to provide investment education to distributors and investors
2009		Welcomes new major shareholder, Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co., Ltd.
2010		Launches world's first fund investing in World Bank Green Bonds^*1
2011		Completes acquisition of Tyndall Investments, gaining strong foothold in Australia and New Zealand Completes acquisition of DBS Asset Management; renames company Nikko Asset Management Asia Limited and merges operations with Nikko Asset Management Singapore Limited. Stakes in Malaysian Hwang Investment Management Berhad and AIIMAN Asset Management Sdn Bhd are part of the deal Signs strategic alliance with DBS Bank; strengthens investment team and expands distribution coverage.
2013		Exceeds 15 trillion yen in AUM Acquires an Asian Equities team
2014		Fukuoka office opens One of the first asset managers in Singapore to be awarded RQFII, and launched Singapore’s first Chinese onshore bond fund^*1 Hires a Global Equities team Launches Multi-Asset capability Aligns Tyndall brand names in Australia and New Zealand with the firm’s global name, Nikko Asset Management
2015		Eurasia Group, Nikko Asset Management Pair Strengths in Emerging Markets Investments Exceeds 20 trillion yen in AUM Launches Japan's first Robotics Equity fund^*1
2017		Launches its first ETF outside of Japan on the SGX, and Singapore's first Asia ex Japan REIT ETF^*1 Partners with ARK Invest for Disruptive Innovation Investment Solutions
2018		Commits to the UN’s Women’s Empowerment Principles
2019		Nikko Asset Management Europe Ltd (German Branch) opens in Frankfurt to better serve the needs of the Firm’s clients in the country Transitions to a company with an Audit and Supervisory Committee on the Board

	Junichi Sayato Chairman, President & CEO Junichi Sayato joined Nikko Asset Management Co., Ltd. as Representative Director and Executive Senior Executive Corporate Officer and Deputy President in June 2015. He was then promoted to Executive Chairman & Co-CEO in April 2019 and assumed his current position in April 2021. Read more Before joining Nikko Asset Management, Sayato most recently served as Representative Director and President of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust General Service Co., Ltd. He also previously held the position of President at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Research Institute Co., Ltd., and was in charge of IR at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings, Inc. as Director and Managing Executive Officer. Prior to this, at Sumitomo Trust & Banking Co., Ltd. (now Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Ltd.), he oversaw finance, asset and liability management, operations, IT, compliance, and customer satisfaction as Director and Managing Executive Officer. Before that, he served as Executive Officer and Regional Executive for the Americas at the same bank, as well as General Manager of the New York Branch and General Manager of the Risk Management Department. Sayato has over 13 years of extensive experience working outside of Japan, namely in London, New York and Washington D.C. He graduated from the School of Law at Kyoto University in March 1978 and received his master's degree from the London School of Economics (Department of Economics, International Relations Major) in August 1982.
	Yuji Ooyagi Executive Corporate Officer Yuji Ooyagi has held the position of Executive Corporate Officer since May 2019. He is in charge of Japan Sales, and oversees both the Japan Retail and Japan Institutional Business. Read more Ooyagi originally became Head of the Corporate Business Development Department in 2002, during which time he expanded Nikko Asset Management’s offering of products for financial institutions. He became the Head of Investment Trust Sales in 2010, where he held several important posts in support of the investment trust business. Ooyagi became Head of the Japan Retail Business Division and a Senior Corporate Officer in April 2014. Ooyagi started at Nikko Securities (currently SMBC Nikko Securities) in 1985 before becoming a portfolio manager in 1992 at Nikko Securities Investment Trust and Management (currently Nikko Asset Management). He graduated from Waseda University in March 1985.
	Hiroki Tsujimura Executive Corporate Officer, Global Head of Investment and CIO Hiroki Tsujimura has held the position of Executive Corporate Officer, Global Head of Investment and CIO since June 2019, and is responsible for overseeing all investment management activities globally. Read more Tsujimura joined Nikko Asset Management in December 2004 as the firm's Global Head of Alternative Investments and Chief Investment Officer at its New York subsidiary. After relocating to Nikko Asset Management’s Tokyo headquarters in August 2010, Tsujimura served as Head of Active Investments, where he was in charge of equity, fixed income and alternative investments. He was appointed Chief Investment Officer – Japan in January 2013 and was also named Senior Corporate Officer in April 2014. He was named Executive Corporate Officer in May 2019. Before joining the firm, Tsujimura spent 12 years in the investment and financial industry in the U.S., where he worked in alternative investments serving as Director and Executive Corporate Officer at Nikko Securities International (NSI). He also started NSI’s proprietary trading operation in his role as the head of the equity trading department. At Nikko Securities (now SMBC Nikko Securities) in Japan, Tsujimura established a joint venture with an American securities firm, where he served as Executive Corporate Officer and Chief Operating Officer. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Business and Commerce at Keio University.
	Osamu Morita Executive Corporate Officer Osamu Morita has held the position of Executive Corporate Officer since May 2019, while serving as CLO, COO, Global Head of Legal and Head of Legal & Compliance Division. Read more Morita joined Nikko Asset Management as Senior Corporate Officer, Chief Legal Officer (CLO), Global Head of Legal and Head of Legal & Compliance Division in April 2016. From October 2016 he concurrently served as Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) Before joining Nikko Asset Management, Morita most recently served as Corporate Officer of Nikko System Solutions Inc., and prior to that Managing Executive Officer of SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. He previously was President of Nikko Global Wrap Co., Ltd. while serving as Managing Executive Officer of SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. in April 2011. At the former Nikko Cordial Securities (renamed as SMBC Nikko Securities Co., Ltd. in April 2011), Morita oversaw asset management for more than six years from 2008. Before that, he served as Executive Director and Executive Officer of Nikko Cordial Group, Inc. and Nikko Cordial Securities Co., Ltd., with a focus on supervising the finance and personnel & training department. He has over 20 years of extensive experience in the area of legal, corporate planning, human resources and talent development. He graduated from the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Law and Political Science and received a Masters in Law.
	Kunihiro Asai Senior Corporate Officer Kunihiro Asai has held the position of Senior Corporate Officer, Global Head of Corporate Office and Head of Corporate Office since May 2019, supporting the execution of the firm’s corporate strategy on a global basis. Read more Asai joined Nikko Asset Management as Head of Risk Management in August 2006. He served as Head of Product Development for seven years from 2007 onwards, and was appointed Global Head of Corporate Office and Head of Corporate Office in 2014. A veteran financier with more than 20 years of experience in the financial industry, Asai has a strong background in risk management. Prior to joining Nikko Asset Management, he worked for the major trading house Mitsui & Co, Ltd. between 2001 and 2006, engaged in planning and managing the product derivatives business globally. He also spent more than a decade working at both Sanwa Securities and Sanwa Bank, serving in the overseas dealing business. Asai holds a Master of Science in computational finance from the Carnegie Mellon University Graduate School of Industrial Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Tokyo.
	Stefanie Drews Senior Corporate Officer Stefanie Drews oversees the firm’s international sales and strategy, as well as both product development & management and marketing for the domestic and international businesses. She also oversees all sales support functions, and the firm’s corporate sustainability activities. Read more Drews joined Nikko Asset Management in August 2014, and was originally appointed Global Head of Institutional Marketing and Proposition. She became Joint Global Head of Product & Marketing in 2016 at the firm’s Tokyo headquarters, and from 2018 also became Global Head of Marketing and Head of Corporate Sustainability. She has held the position of Senior Corporate Officer, and the additional positions of Global Head of Products & Solutions, Global Head of International Sales & Strategy and Global Head of Sales Support since May 2019. Drews was previously the Global Head of Key Clients and Family Offices at Barclays Wealth and Investment Management in London. Prior to Barclays, she was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management in London, where she spent 13 years. Drews graduated from Oxford University with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Philosophy & Economics, and earned her MBA at Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration.
	Maho Nakada Senior Corporate Officer Maho Nakada became a Senior Corporate Officer in May 2019. She is the Global Head of Technology & Operations, overseeing the firm’s middle- and back office operation and IT globally. Read more Nakada joined Nikko Asset Management Co., Ltd. in October 2009. She became the Head of Operations Planning and Administration Department in August 2010, and was then named Head of Japan Operations and Disclosure Division in June 2015. In February 2017, Nakada was promoted to Global Head of IT and Global Head of Operations. Prior to joining Nikko Asset Management Co., Ltd, Nakada started her career in Human Resources and Training at NikkoCiti Trust and Banking Corporation and was responsible for Operations in the fiduciary business since 1998. In 2007, she became Nikko Citi Trust and Banking Corporation’s Head of Client Service Department, maintaining the relationship with asset management firms globally. Nakada has more than 20 years of experience in the operations and management of fiduciary business. She is a graduate of Tamagawa University.

	Eleanor Seet Head of Asia and President, Nikko Asset Management Asia Limited Eleanor joined Nikko Asset Management Asia in 2011 as president. She is responsible for driving the growth of Nikko Asset Management Asia. She has spent her entire career in the asset management industry and has a strong background in sales and marketing of investment products. Read more Previously, she held the role of senior director for iShares, Private Wealth Distribution, Asia ex-Japan from 2009. Prior to that, she spent 12 years at AllianceBernstein, where she was responsible for building and developing the firm distribution channels and business. She graduated with a Bachelor of Economics from the University of New South Wales, Sydney.
	George Carter Managing Director, Nikko Asset Management New Zealand Limited George Carter joined Nikko Asset Management New Zealand as the Managing Director in November 2015. He has 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. Read more George was previously head of distribution and a director at AMP Capital, a role he held for six years with responsibility for proactively engaging with and managing the business's external relationships. Prior to that, he worked as a consulting actuary advising institutional clients on pensions, investments assets and liabilities in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. He holds an honours degree in Theology from the University of Durham and is a Fellow of both the Institute of Actuaries and the New Zealand Society of Actuaries.
	John Howland-Jackson Chief Executive Officer, Nikko Asset Management Europe Limited John joined Nikko Asset Management in October 2014, initially as an advisor to senior management on business development opportunities in Europe and the Middle East. Read more After joining the Nikko Asset Management Europe (NAME) board in 2016 as Non-Executive Director and Chairman, he was appointed Chief Executive of the company on 1 January 2018. John is responsible for all aspects of Nikko AM’s business across the EMEA region and its continuing growth strategy. Prior to joining Nikko AM, John was a career banker holding senior executive positions in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia with a number of leading financial institutions, including JP Morgan, Nomura Securities, the NatWest Group and latterly the ING Group. John holds a BA in Jurisprudence (Law) from Oxford University and is a qualified Barrister-at-Law.
	Fred DeSerio Country Head and Corporate Officer, Nikko Asset Management Americas Fred DeSerio joined Nikko Asset Management in January 2015 as head of sales in the United States. Read more Shortly after he was promoted to the position of country head and Corporate Officer. He is upgrading the region's business development capabilities as Nikko Asset Management looks to expand not only in the United States but across North and South America. Prior to joining the company he was a managing director at Invesco where he started working in 2002. Prior to Invesco, he worked for firms including Smith Barney, American International Group and Segal Advisors.

	Yasuaki Ogiwara President, Nikko Asset Management Hong Kong Limited Yasuaki Ogiwara joined Nikko Asset Management in April 2015 and is the president of Nikko Asset Management Hong Kong Limited. Read more He is responsible for supporting the company's delivery of integrated solutions to investors throughout Asia. He is a veteran financier. Prior to joining Nikko Asset Management he was the president of Nomura Asset Management in Hong Kong. He has also headed sales and business development in multiple markets during his tenure at Nomura Securities, including Taiwan and Europe.
	Eleanor Seet President & Director, Nikko Asset Management Asia & Head of Asia ex-Japan, Nikko Asset Management Eleanor Seet joined Nikko Asset Management in 2011 as the President and Director of the Singapore entity. She became the Head of Asia ex-Japan in 2015 with expanded responsibility for driving the growth of Nikko AM in the region. She has oversight of Nikko AM’s Singapore and Hong Kong offices and joint venture relationships in China and Malaysia and is a board member of Affin Hwang Asset Management Berhad. Read more Ms Seet is a pioneer in the asset management industry with over 20 years of experience. Prior to joining Nikko AM Asia, Ms Seet led the distribution efforts for iShares concentrating on the wealth segments across Asia ex Japan. Previously, she spent 12 years at AllianceBernstein, where she was responsible for building and developing the firm’s distribution channels and business. In that capacity, she was responsible for the overall strategy and execution of the firm’s product offerings in South East Asia via intermediaries. She graduated with a Bachelor of Economics from the University of New South Wales, Sydney.
	Kiyotaka Ryu Director, Nikko Asset Management Asia & Chief Administrative Officer of Nikko AM and Acting Chief Risk Officer, Nikko Asset Management Kiyotaka Ryu was appointed as Chief Administrative Officer of Nikko AM in July 2018, and Acting Chief Risk Officer in December 2018. He is responsible for overall business planning and management to support Middle and Back Office functions, as well as leading the global risk management function. Read more Kiyotaka Ryu joined the Internal Audit Department of Nikko AM in September 2007 and went on to become the Head of Internal Audit where he led the Nikko AM Group’s Internal Audit practice for three and a half years. Before joining Nikko AM, he worked for KPMG, as a financial and technology auditor. He served clients from various industries including the financial sector. He is a qualified accountant and a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountant. He graduated from Waseda University with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Sciences and has also received a Master of Professional Accounting Degree from University of New South Wales.

Our Company

Nikko Asset Management

History

Leadership

Awards

Global Offices

Careers

Learn more about what makes Nikko AM unique.

A snapshot of Nikko AM's history is provided above. Explore an expanded look at Nikko AM's history here.

See a complete lineup of our leadership.

A full list of awards can be found here.

See a more detailed description of Nikko AM's global offices.

Read more about careers at Nikko AM.

A snapshot of Nikko AM's history is provided above.
Explore an expanded look at Nikko AM's history here.