Owen Thomas, the head of Morgan Stanley’s global asset management, has been appointed as the company’s new Hong Kong-based Asia chief executive.
The 46-year-old has been with Morgan Stanley for two decades and much of this has been spent developing its real estate division and he is generally credited with successfully expanding the firm’s interests in Japan and other markets.
Morgan Stanley’s global assets under management have risen from $428 billion to $597 billion over the past two years and the company is preparing to expand into India and China.
Morgan Stanley is currently looking for a buyer for its stake in investment bank China International Capital.