AXA Investment Managers Appoints Yoshihiko Hayafuji as Head of Japan

Fund management giant AXA Investment Managers has continued its march into Asia with the appointment this week of Yoshihiko Hayafuji as Head of Japan for AXA Investment Managers – Real Assets (AXA IM – Real Assets).

Based in Toyko, Hayafuji started work this week with the French firm after previously serving as Director of Investment for Japan with Grosvenor. In his new role, Hayafuji will report directly to Frank Khoo, AXA Investment Managers’ global head of Asia.

“Yoshihiko is a well-respected real estate professional with an in-depth working knowledge of the Japanese market, built up during his time working at several of Japan’s most respected companies,” said Khoo. “As one of the most attractive markets for institutional investors looking for portfolio diversification, in both Asia and further afield, having someone of Yoshihiko’s experience will enable us to further enhance the value that we aim to offer to our partners and clients, in a region that is set to benefit from the heightened volatility and unpredictability affecting other key geographies.”

In his new role, Hayafuji will be responsible for the overall management of the AXA IM – Real Assets’ office in Japan, overseeing all transactions, business operations, capital raising and development activity.

Hayafuji has over 15 years’ experience in the Japanese real estate and corporate finance sectors, having worked at Aetos Japan on the valuation team, where he oversaw real estate valuation for the fund’s acquisitions prior to joining Grosvenor. He began his career at Nomura Real Estate.

AXA explained the appointment as part of the investment group’s strategy to enhance its footprint in the Asia-Pacific region, which now includes with offices in Tokyo, Seoul as well as primary fund management hub in Singapore.

The global top 10 real estate fund manager made a major move into Asia Pacific in September when it purchased Sydney-based Eureka Funds Management, which oversees US$3.7 billion of properties.

The deal, the first acquisition of another company by the real estate fund manager, will help Axa to increase its investments in Asian property. In an account in the Financial Times, Pierre Vaquier, chief executive of the real assets division of Axa IM commented at the time that the Eureka acquisition comes ahead of “more emerging and more opportunistic markets such as China.”