Nikko makes board appointment

Nikko Asset Management's latest board appointment brings 25 years' experience at some of the world's biggest financial institutions.

Monday, November 4th 2019, 10:48AM

Craig Donaldson has held senior positions with Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch and 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 and Bachcare.

He is also global chief executive and sits on the global board of Kea New Zealand and is an executive in residence at the University of Auckland Business School.

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.

Jones has been promoted to the role of board chair.

She said she was looking forward to the positive contribution Donaldson would make.

“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.”

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

“This is an extremely exciting time for Nikko AM NZ. Earlier this year we unveiled our direct-to-consumer GoalsGetter roboadvice 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."

Tags: Nikko AM people