Nomura Asset Management Malaysia

Managing Director / Country Head

Leslie Yap

Leslie Yap, CFA, is the Managing Director for Nomura Asset Management Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., and the Country Head for NAM’s business in Malaysia, since 1 November 2021. Prior to his appointment as Managing Director, he was the Head of Investments in Malaysia (a role he held since Apr 2015) where he oversees the global equities, Malaysian equities and Malaysian Fixed Income & Global Sukuk portfolio management teams in Kuala Lumpur.

Leslie has over 24 years of industry experience in funds management and research coverage. Together with the Global Equities team in Kuala Lumpur, he is responsible for the investment management of global developed market equities of over MYR 7 billion (Sept 2021), on behalf of Malaysia and overseas-based institutional investors.

Leslie is one of the contributing member of the Global Equity Strategy Committee and the Global Stock Selection Committee in Nomura Asset Management. He is also the Investment Committee member at Nomura Islamic Asset Management.

Leslie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the University of Nottingham, U.K. He is also a CFA charter holder.

Director

Atsushi Ichii

Atsushi Ichii was appointed as the Managing Director of Nomura Islamic Asset Management Sdn Bhd on 4 December 2020. He has over 25 years of experience in the financial and capital markets industry, from both the sell-side and buy-side. He began his career at Nomura Securities in 1991 and since then, he has undertaken various business development roles in Nomura Group and other Japanese financial institutions. Throughout his career, he has worked in various countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland, and countries in the Middle East, such as Bahrain and U.A.E

Independent director

Julia Binti Hashim

Ms Julia joined the firm as an independent director on 27 August 2020 and brings with her over 30 years of working experience in the financial industry, since 1989. Ms Julia was previously at Principal Asset Management Berhad as the Chief Operating Officer, Asean region, overlooking operational divisions such as Finance, HR, Strategy, Legal, Risk, IT, Operations and Product Development across Principal Asset Management’s Southeast Asian entities. Before joining Principal Asset Management, Ms Julia was with CIMB Investment Bank Berhad for 23 years where her last position held was Head of Equities Malaysia and Head of Institutional Sales, ASEAN. Prior to that, Ms Julia was a fund manager at Arab Malaysia Investment Bank Berhad for 5 years. Ms Julia holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Economics and Politics from University of London, School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS).

Independent member

Dato’ Mona Suraya binti Kamaruddin

Dato’ Mona joined the firm as an independent director on 1 November 2023 and brings with her 31 years of experience in the capital markets, specialising in Malaysian equities, which includes close to 9 years in Equity Research and 20 years in Equity Sales. Dato’ Mona is currently the Investment Panel Member at Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera and prior to that she was the Chief Executive Officer at Affin Hwang Investment Bank Berhad. Prior to joining Affin Hwang Investment Bank Berhad, Dato’ Mona was the Country Head and Managing Director at Nomura Securities Malaysia. Dato’ Mona and her team at Nomura were instrumental in establishing and growing the firm’s Malaysian equities franchise from the ground up over the past 11 years. Before joining Nomura, she was Vice President of Institutional Sales at JPMorgan Securities Malaysia. Dato’ Mona began her career in the capital markets in 1991 as an investment analyst in various financial institutions which include Arab Malaysian Securities, Standard Chartered Securities Malaysia and Crosby Securities Malaysia. She also served as Head of Research at MGI Securities Malaysia. Dato’ Mona holds a BSc (Econs) in Accounting from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth

Chief Administrative Officer / Director

Chooi Su May

Chooi Su May is the Chief Administrative Officer of Nomura Asset Management Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. and oversees the Corporate Administration, Fund Administration and Trading departments. She joined the Company in 2008 and prior to assuming her current role, she was the Head of Compliance, Risk and Legal in the Company. She was appointed as director in June 2022.

Su May has over 20 years of working experience in the areas of compliance, legal, operational risks, audit and tax from various local and international companies across audit & tax advisory, insurance and capital markets industries.

Director

Suzuki Kenichi

Suzuki Kenichi  is the Senior Managing Director and Head of the Global Business Unit at Nomura Asset Management, with over 30 years of experience in asset management and financial services. He has held numerous leadership roles across Nomura’s global offices, including in Japan, Luxembourg, Taiwan, and the UK. Most recently, as CEO of Nomura Asset Management UK, he manages 70 staff, drives business expansion, and implements key corporate strategies. His expertise spans trading, fund management, corporate communications, human resource, and business development, reflecting his deep knowledge of the financial industry and commitment to driving business growth and operational excellence. Suzuki Kenichi holds Bachelor of Science from the Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan.