Manulife Asset Management is expanding its asset allocation investment capability with the appointment of Peter Warnes as head of portfolio solutions group (PSG), international.

Based in Hong Kong, Warnes will work closely with his asset allocation and international sales and relationship management colleagues to meet the increasing demand for asset allocation solutions outside of North America.

Since establishing an Asian presence for PSG two years ago, Manulife Asset Management has built a solid foundation for providing multi-asset products across the region. The company has gained significant traction in Asia, where it now has over US$5.9 billion in asset allocation assets under management for clients which include sovereign wealth and pension funds as well as retail clients. Various retail mixed-asset investment products have been launched in markets such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Macau under pension schemes and on mutual fund and insurance-linked platforms.

In addition to his portfolio management responsibilities, Warnes will set the strategic direction for continuing this encouraging growth for Manulife Asset Management’s international business. He will join the company’s Global Asset Allocation Committee and interface closely with peers on the global PSG team, which includes more than 20 asset allocation professionals and has more than US$119 billion in assets under management1.

Warnes will join Manulife Asset Management effective August 18. He was previously with JP Morgan Asset Management, where he worked in both the Asia and London offices developing and managing global equity and global multi-asset investment portfolios. Previous to this he worked with Invesco Asset Management after having begun his career at Sun Alliance Investment Management in London. He contributed to the asset allocation process with each of these companies.