Federated Hermes, a global leader in responsible investment solutions, today announced the strengthening of its Asia Pacific business with the appointment of Kozo Fujioka to its APAC sales team in Japan.
In this newly created role at Federated Hermes as Sales Manager, Fujioka will be based in Tokyo and report directly to Wataru Horii, Head of Business Development in Japan. He will be responsible for alignment and distribution of Federated Hermes’ products to meet the needs of financial institution clients in Japan.
This announcement follows the appointment in 2023 of Jim Roland as Head of Distribution for Asia Pacific, and underlines the firm’s commitment to expanding its footprint in the region. Federated Hermes launched its Japan presence – led by Wataru Horii – in 2021, to offer greater proximity to Japanese clients, including pension funds and financial institutions with an extensive suite of equity, fixed income, and private markets solutions.
Kozo Fujioka brings extensive experience in serving financial institution clients including most recently as part of the Financial Institutions business of T Rowe Price Japan. He previous held institutional investor sales roles with PIMCO Japan and Fixed Income Product Specialist with JP Morgan Asset Management, having started his career at Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management.
Jim Roland, Head of Business Development, Asia Pacific, Federated Hermes, said: “We are delighted to welcome Kozo to our team as we continue to build our footprint and offering in this strategically important location. His extensive experience and deep understanding of the Japanese market make him an invaluable addition. Kozo’s appointment is a clear indication of our continued commitment to Japan, and our ambition to support the evolving needs of our clients, including Japan’s leading pension funds and financial institutions.”
Wataru Horii, Head of Business Development, Japan, Federated Hermes, adds: “Since launching our Japanese business in 2021, we have taken a strategic approach to identifying the products and strategies that are best suited to local institutional investors. Japan continues to be an important market with growing demand for our investment strategies, and I look forward to working closely with Kozo as we further strengthen our experienced team, supporting our thriving local client base.”
