Fiera Capital names CJ Morrell as head of Japan

Fiera Capital has named CJ Morrell as managing director, head of Japan, Fiera Capital Asia, effective immediately.

The Canadian-headquartered independent asset management firm, with over $122bn AUM as at 31 December 2023, said the newly created role will enable Fiera to increase its strategic focus on the Japanese market during a period of comprehensive economic reform in the country.

Morrell will report to Rob Petty, CEO of Fiera Capital Asia, and will build on the existing Asia team’s profitable business and 23-year history in Singapore, Hong Kong and Korea. The firm said it was "excited to commit further to its existing Japanese clients with a dedicated focus in the country".

The new position supports the ongoing rollout of Fiera’s regionalised distribution model and follows the recent appointments of Klaus Schuster, CEO of Fiera EMEA, Eric Roberts, CEO of Fiera USA, Maxime Menard, CEO of Fiera Canada and Alain Meyer, Managing Director, and Head of DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).

Morrell will be responsible for growing Fiera’s presence on the ground and building upon its existing relationships in the market. With over 30 years of experience in the asset management industry including at Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan and Sloane Robinson Asset Management, Morrell was selected for his in-depth knowledge and experience across Japan, Asia, and public equity markets, as well as his proven leadership ability.

Rob Petty, CEO of Fiera Capital Asia, said: “Morrell brings a wealth of experience in the asset management business, having both investment and distribution experience, and a personal, long-standing commitment to and knowledge of the Japanese market.

"As a firm, our commitment comes at a time when we are seeing the long-term impact of the government’s ongoing financial reform, the end of the zero-interest rate environment, and thus a long-term opportunity for our active asset management mindset and differentiated strategies to offer Japanese investors our long-term Canadian perspective on investments.”

"This is particularly the case as institutional and high-net-worth capital shifts to strategies across real assets and equities with inflation-hedging and income generating characteristics, where Fiera Capital is extremely well-placed.”

Priority asset classes for Fiera’s institutional initiatives in Japan will focus on private alternatives, with unleveraged, income-generating private credit a key focus.

This includes Fiera’s ANZ Real Estate Debt strategy, a stand-out strategy recognised for its performance with a Preqin’s Award for the Best Credit Strategies Hedge Fund in 2023, as well as Fiera’s Canadian, European and US Real Estate Debt strategies.

Japan also offers a compelling wholesale market for active equity strategies, as individual investors hold $7.2trn or 50% of their assets in cash. The Retail Investor 2023/24 Investment Intentions survey lists active foreign equity, global equity, and concentrated long-term equity amongst their top four priorities. Fiera said it was ideally placed to help fulfil this trend with its well-positioned teams across Small-Mid Cap (SMID) Growth, Fiera OAKS EM Select, Canadian Equity and Fiera Atlas Global Companies.

Fiera’s OAKS EM Select strategy, which invests in a diversified portfolio of smaller emerging markets securities seeking absolute returns, marked three years since inception in January 2024 is a standout having outperformed 99% of its peers since its inception according to Bloomberg data.

Morrell’s appointment is the latest milestone in Fiera’s global expansion with the Company announcing the opening of dedicated regional offices in both Zurich, Switzerland, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in February 2024.

Certain of the activities to be conducted from the new offices are subject to regulatory approval by FINMA, the Swiss Financial Services Market Supervisory Authority and FSRA, the ADGM Financial Services Regulatory Authority, respectively.