Title Director, Corporate Finance & Stewardship (APAC)
Location Singapore or Tokyo
Reports to Head of Corporate Finance & Stewardship
Revision date September 2024
Our purpose is to give everyone real confidence to put their money to work. We act with care – treating customers, clients and colleagues with the same level of respect we would expect for ourselves. And we invest with care, making choices for the long term. We empower our people at M&G to do the right thing, honouring our commitments to others and acting with conviction. Our business is built on trust and we don’t take that lightly.
The Role:
The Corporate Finance and Stewardship (CF&S) team supports investment teams across M&G investments with respect to their stewardships responsibilities. The team helps to co‐ordinate and choreograph interactions between M&G and company management teams on a range of topics; including sustainability, climate, diversity, governance, strategy and capital allocation.
M&G Investments is looking for a Director of Corporate Finance and Stewardship (CF&S) to join the team as the Asia Pacific representative.
The main responsibilities for this role are to maintain contact with company management on a variety of sustainability issues including climate, diversity, corporate governance, strategy and capital allocation. This includes monitoring company performance, advising Fund Managers on corporate transactions and managing the wall crossing process when required and proxy voting.
This is a great opportunity for an experienced (10+ years) professional in the Asset Management industry, who has worked in the APAC Capital Markets directly, to help M&G further improve the impact it has with investee companies.
Key Work Level Accountabilities: Manager or Expert
∙ For people managers, accountable for managing and motivating others to ensure quality of delivery to customers and stakeholders
∙ For technical specialists, accountable for delivering expert advice or service, using specialist knowledge and subject matter expertise
∙ Applies judgement to deliver outcomes, evaluating a range of potential solutions, considering the impact for customers, cost and risk
∙ Manages conflicts that may impact delivery
∙ Challenges upwards given knowledge of delivery and awareness of complex systems and the broader picture
∙ Identifies and anticipates need for changes to continuously improve quality and efficiency of output ∙ Manages resources and risks using expert judgment, know‐how and experience
Key Responsibilities for this role:
∙ Working side‐by‐side with the APAC investment team, maintain contact with company management teams and nurture value‐added relationships.
▪ Manage engagement projects / campaigns where we are targeting specific investment and commercial outcomes at investee companies
▪ Ensure a consistent approach between our stewardships activities in Asia Pacific and M&G Investments’ central policies and approaches, especially with respect to sustainability issues, including climate, natural capital and diversity.
▪ Advise Fund Managers on corporate transactions and manage wall crossing process when required, for example in capital raising or other corporate actions.
▪ Work with analysts to re‐package M&G primary research for timely and value‐added communications to portfolio companies
▪ Liaise with the voting team to ensure shareholder voting is undertaken in a timely and considered manner
▪ Liaising with shareholder bodies such as International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) and Asian Corporate Governance Association (ACGA) .
▪ Contribute to the wider Corporate Finance & Stewardship agenda on all areas including share ownership policies, responsible investment, regulatory developments, engagement with external parties and developing voting polices and guidelines.
▪ Build senior relationships between M&G and various strategically important KOLs in Japan
Key Knowledge, Skills & Experience:
∙ A sound knowledge of listed corporates in the APAC region, notably in Japan.
∙ Familiarity with engagement with Boards and senior company management at listed corporates. ∙ Familiarity with capital raisings and corporate activity.
∙ Familiarity with the legal and regulatory framework surrounding shareholder engagement and intervention with Boards and with investee companies.
∙ Strong verbal and written communication skills; Ability to work within a team environment ∙ A flexible and adaptable approach with ability to build good relationships internally and externally ∙ Client and delivery focused; Excellent attention to detail and effective analytical skills ∙ Good planning and organisational skills coupled with effective problem‐solving skills ∙ Be a role model for good business practices; Identify and fulfil regulatory requirements applicable to the role
∙ Strong preference for language skills: Japanese, Korean, Mandarin in particular are helpful
We live by these behaviours at M&G and we ask all our employees to:
Tell It Like It Is – Respectfully speaking up to create better ways forward ‐ both direct and empathetic ∙
Own It Now ‐ Putting your name on things with confidence to drive progress and results quickly
Move It Forward Together ‐ Forming cross‐functional teams to seize the right opportunities and solve real problems
At M&G Diversity and Inclusion is a strategic objective. We know that an inclusive environment makes us more accessible and ensures we attract, engage, promote and retain exceptional people. We welcome applications from all individuals regardless of age, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity/nationally, disability, or military service and welcome those who have taken career breaks. We will consider flexible working arrangements for any of our roles.