The former APAC co-head of Schroders has returned to the British asset manager, this time to lead the region as its sole chief executive officer.

Schroders appoints Chris Durack as its CEO of APAC, according to a statement, based in Singapore and effective January 2023. Durack succeeds Susan Soh who will retire from the firm at the end of 2022 after more than 17 years. Soh will take on a part-time senior advisor role at Schroders.

Durack rejoins Schroders after previously spending ten years with the firm from 2011 to 2021. During this period, he held various leadership roles including Hong Kong CEO, Australia CEO and the last position as co-head of APAC.

Hong Kong CEO

Schroders has also announced a number of changes to its senior personnel in the region including the exit of Hong Kong CEO and deputy head of APAC Amy Cho. Cho has decided to pursue personal interests outside the firm after four years in the role and will transition her responsibilities from early January 2023.

Cho will be succeeded by Gopi Mirchandani, current CEO and head of client group Asia at Hague-based NN Investment Partners, reporting to Durack. Mirchandani will also take on the newly created role of head of strategy, APAC, to identify new business opportunities and partnerships across the region. 

Previously, Mirchandani also held senior legal and compliance roles at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Deutsche Asset Management and Fullerton Fund Management.

Distribution, Marketing

Also within the region, Schroders appoints Szu Yi Chin to the newly created role of head of distribution, APAC, based in Singapore. Chin also rejoins the Schroders after previously spending 12 years with the firm. She was most recently the chairman and head of Taiwan at Fidelity International where she spent the past eight years.

Current head of marketing for Australia, Amanda Irving, has been named head of marketing, APAC. She is currently based in Sydney and will relocate to Singapore in January 2023. Irving has 20 years of marketing experience in financial services, including a previous stint as a marketing director at BT Financial Group. Irving replaces Michelle Han, who has moved to London to take on the role of global head of growth and digital marketing. 

«The Asia Pacific region is a key part of Schroders’ growth strategy, and we are proud to have a line-up of strong senior leaders in the region to sustain our business momentum,» said group CEO Peter Harrison.