Vontobel's asset management arm apparently didn't have a job for Aris Prepoudis. The former Vescore and Notenstein asset management head is about to surface in a new CEO role, finews.asia can reveal.

Aris Prepoudis will become head of sustainable investment specialist RobecoSAM, which is owned by Japan's Orix Corporation, in January, several people familiar with the vacancy said. He replaces Michael Baldinger, who left for UBS' asset management division, as finews.com reported in July.

Prepoudis is one of Switzerland's best-known investment specialists for sustainable assets. He ran Bank Sarasin's institutional client business from 2008 until 2013.

Employees to Follow?

He moved to Notenstein in 2013 with his team, where he built up the private bank's asset management. Prepoudis found himself out of a job when Notenstein Asset Management was rebranded into Vescore more than one year ago and later sold to Vontobel's asset management arm.

Whether other former Vescore staff follow Prepoudis to RobecoSAM is unclear: the firm's current vacancies include a head of sales role. Most recently run by Reto Schwager on a temporary basis, RobecoSAM has 130 employees.

Prepoudis studied economics in Basel and worked for auditor Ernst & Young from 1997 to 2000.