M&G Investments has appointed Taro Shiroyama as managing director of its Japanese institutional business development division in a newly created role.

Tokyo-based Shiroyama will be responsible for strengthening the firm’s existing relationships with local partners, investors and consultants, as well as developing new relationships within the Japanese markets.

With more than 18 years’ experience in the Japanese market, Shiroyama joins M&G investments from PIMCO Japan where he was head of the Tokyo product and solutions team covering client and consultant relationship management and providing portfolio analysis to institutional investors.

Marcel de Bruijckere, M&G Investment’s Singapore-based director of institutional business for the Asia Pacific region, commented: “The timing could not be better given the strong increase of interest from Japanese institutional investors in M&G Investments' capabilities.”

M&G’s Asian operation was established relatively recently in 2012, with newly opened offices in Singapore and Hong Kong. The firm plans to continue expanding its Japanese institutional investor client book.