Nikko AM NZ appoints Craig Donaldson to Board of Directors

01 November, 2019

Nikko Asset Management New Zealand (Nikko AM NZ) is pleased to announce the appointment of Craig Donaldson to its Board of Directors.

A renowned figure in the New Zealand and global financial marketplace, Mr Donaldson brings to Nikko AM NZ over 25 years’ experience at some of the world’s largest financial institutions.

He has held senior positions with Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch and the Royal Bank of Scotland, where as head of Foreign Exchange Sales he led the division’s growth into the top five foreign exchange businesses in North America. Since coming back to Auckland in 2012, he has held a number of Board and Board Advisory positions at the Ice House, Well Foundation (Chairman) and Bachcare. He is also Global CEO and sits on the Global Board of KEA New Zealand and is an Executive in Residence at the University of Auckland Business School.

Mr Donaldson joins Nikko AM NZ Managing Director, George Carter, Nikko AM Co Ltd Tokyo based director, Kiyotaka Ryu and independent NZ based non-executive director Tracey Jones on the four-person Nikko AM NZ board. To coincide with Mr Donaldson’s arrival, Ms Jones has been promoted to the role of board chair.

Ms Jones says that she’s delighted to take on the role of board chair and is looking forward to the positive contribution Craig Donaldson will make. She says that it wasn’t just Mr Donaldson’s extensive financial markets experience, but his expertise and passion for supporting business growth that made him the outstanding candidate to fill the role.

“Craig has extensive financial knowledge and experience, covering structured products, financing, ecommerce and bespoke alpha trade ideas, and is respected here and internationally for his expertise. But just as important for us is his broad business and governance experience and we look forward to him bringing his strong people-focused philosophy and fresh perspectives to our board.”

Mr Donaldson’s appointment has been welcomed equally warmly by George Carter.

“This is an extremely exciting time for Nikko AM NZ. Earlier this year we unveiled our direct-to-consumer GoalsGetter robo-advice platform and most recently have launched our disruptive innovation fund with ARK-Invest. New Zealand’s wealth management sector is evolving rapidly and Craig will play a key role in ensuring we can continue to thrive and service the needs of our increasingly diverse client base,” says Mr Carter.

Mr Donaldson, who has taken up the role as of today (November 1), says he can’t wait to get started.

“I am excited to be joining the Nikko AM team and am impressed with the calibre of their staff and their focus on creating excellent investment outcomes for their clients.”

Ends

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