Nikko AM NZ appoints Tracey Berry

Nikko AM NZ appoints Tracey Berry as Chair of Board of Directors

Nikko Asset Management New Zealand is pleased to announce the appointment of experienced banking professional Tracey Berry as Chair of its Board of Directors, effective 1 September 2018.

Ms Berry joins Nikko AM NZ after more than 15 years at the highest levels of the NZ finance sector, including as Head of Wealth Management at Westpac NZ, General Manager Wealth at Kiwibank, and General Manager Retail Distribution at Kiwibank. Most recently she was Kiwibank’s Group Manager Sales and Service.

She has also been a member of the FMA’s Financial Advisers Disciplinary Committee since its formation in 2010, and was previously a Governance Board Member for NZ Student Loans, and a trustee of the Canterbury Community Trust. She holds a post graduate qualification from Waikato University, and has studied behavioural economics at Harvard’s Business School.

She joins three existing directors of Nikko AM NZ: George Carter, Managing Director; Junichi Sayato, Executive Deputy President of Nikko Asset Management Co., Ltd; and Tracey Jones, an independent non-executive director appointed in August 2017.

George Carter says he is excited with Tracey Berry’s appointment “Tracey’s energy and passion for our industry and her focus on client satisfaction is a perfect fit with the approach of Nikko AM NZ.

“As we launch our Nikko AM KiwiSaver Scheme and develop innovative ways of offering financial services to New Zealanders, Tracey’s experience and leadership skills will be enormously beneficial in helping us achieve our vision and excel in what is a rapidly changing wealth management sector in New Zealand,” says Carter.

“Our investment philosophy is driven by high conviction ideas and fresh perspectives, and Tracey will complement our board, at a time when we are increasingly focused on offering modern investment solutions to retail customers.”

Tracey Berry says she is “delighted” to be taking on the role of independent director and Chair. “Nikko Asset Management has a strong reputation and team, and I was impressed with the overall group strategy and support for New Zealand, coupled with their genuine and resolute commitment to their clients.”

Nikko AM NZ actively manages around NZD5.3 billion of investments. It manages domestic assets through its Auckland-based investment team and employs carefully selected offshore managers to manage global assets.

It is solely in the business of investment management and currently manages investments for corporate superannuation schemes, community and charitable trusts, foundations, financial planners, banks, insurance companies, KiwiSaver schemes, corporations, other fund managers and retail investors.

This year it won Morningstar's NZ Fund Manager of the Year Award and the INFINZ Fitch Ratings Fund Manager of the Year Bonds Award, and also launched the Nikko AM KiwiSaver Scheme, meaning New Zealanders can invest directly with it for the first time. Soon it expects to launch its online investment service, and has applied for an exemption to provide personalised digital financial advice.

Nikko AM NZ is part of one of the largest asset management companies in Asia, Nikko Asset Management which has USD 216 billion under management and more than 194 investment professionals.

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