M&G promotes Jeffrey to newly-created APAC leadership role

Alex Jeffrey will be relocating to Singapore to become the head of Asia Pacific for M&G.

M&G has appointed Alex Jeffrey as head of its entire Asia Pacific business in what is a new leadership position created for the region.

Jeffrey will be overseeing the firm’s regional real estate fund management business ($4.8 billion in assets under management as of end-June, 2017) as well as distribution business. All local offices will be reporting to Jeffrey from the second quarter of next year when he is set to move to Singapore from London for this role, the firm announced in a statement.

Jeffrey is currently chief executive of M&G Real Estate’s global operations. After he transitions to the new role, Simon Pilcher, chief executive of M&G’s institutional fixed income business will assume the board level responsibility for M&G Real Estate.

Before joining M&G, Jeffrey was the chief investment officer for MGPA between 2010 and 2012.

Commenting on his new role, he said: “I have enjoyed five fulfilling years of leading and growing M&G’s wonderful real estate team. I am hugely excited about the opportunity in front of us in a region that I know well. Asia is a strategically important market for M&G as we look to meet the savings and investment needs of the fast-growing middle classes across the region.”

Meanwhile M&G Real Estate’s Asia operations continue to be led by Chiang Ling, who took over from Scott Girard as chief executive early last year. This September, M&G also announced further senior executive hires for its real estate fund management business in the region. These included the appointment of Richard van den Berg as fund manager for the Asia core real estate fund, and the former Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) real estate head Robert Walker as non-executive director.