She will be responsible for the U.K. asset manager's business development in North Asia, including primary target markets Hong Kong and South Korea. 

U.K.-headquartered asset manager Merian Global Investors has hired Karen Cheng as its North Asia sales director, the firm announced in a press release on Tuesday.

Cheng has been tasked to support the firm's existing client base and raise its visibility among potential partners, including global banks, regional banks and wealth managers, Merian said. She reports to North Asia head of sales Edward Ho.

Cheng is a financial services industry veteran with 18 years of experience working across a range of distribution and client services roles. She joins from T. Rowe Price, where she was head of Hong Kong intermediaries since April 2016. She has also worked at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, HSBC Canada, HSBC Private Bank and Coutts. 

Customer-Focused Investment Solutions

Merian Global Investors was formed in June 2018 when the management team of Old Mutual Global Investors, together with funds operated by the global growth private equity firm TA Associates, acquired the company. As of 31 July, the firm had GBP26.3 billion ($31.7 billion) in assets under management.

According to the firm, Merian has no house view or CIO, so its fund managers have the freedom to follow their own proven strategies.