Homegrown financial services company Singlife with Aviva has appointed Allen Kuo as its group deputy chief investment officer (CIO). 

He will strengthen specialist skills within the investment office and provide leadership and guidance as Singlife bolsters its asset management capabilities, the company said in a statement.

Based in Singapore, Kuo will also oversee the implementation of Singlife’s sustainable investment strategy, reaffirming the company’s drive to championing ESG mandates. 

He brings with him over two decades of investment and risk management experience across multiple asset classes — specialising in quantitative finance and investment risk – accumulated from senior stints during his time in the US, China and Hong Kong. 

“As Singlife continues to make its presence in leading sustainability in financial services, getting the right talent on board and choosing impact investments is key to accelerating our efforts. I have no doubt that Allen’s wealth of experience will be a great asset to the team and look forward to working closely with him on our investment journey,” said Kim Rosenkilde, group chief investment officer, Singlife with Aviva.

Prior to joining Singlife, Kuo was the director and deputy chief risk officer of University of California’s Regents chief investment office, the pension and endowment arm of the institution.

With a prolific career in the financial sector, he has held senior positions at ING Investment Management as head of investment risk management, and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, and kickstarted one of the first “green” hedge funds in 2006. 

“I am truly honoured to be joining Singlife, having seen the tremendous work that the young but dynamic investment team has accomplished in such a short space of time. I look forward to contributing more towards the Singlife mission of not only finding a better way to financial freedom,” said Kuo.

The Singlife Investment Office was established in January 2022 following the formalisation of Singlife with Aviva as a newly merged entity. The team’s responsibilities include asset allocation, portfolio optimisation, manager selection and product solutions. 

In building a sustainable business through responsible investments, Singlife has co-seeded several sustainable funds since the start of 2022, committing US$50 million (approximately S$68.4 million) to the Altrium Sustainability Fund I, managed by Azalea Investment Management Pte Ltd. and indirectly owned by Temasek, as well as €100 million (approximately S$142.3 million) to the Copenhagen Infrastructure Green Credit Fund. 

To increase the company’s oversight of its sustainability performance, Singlife appointed European sustainability data provider Matter, enabling it to make recommendations on sustainable practices to create long-term ESG value for stakeholders.