Morgan Stanley announces new Asia Pacific leadership

Morgan Stanley today announced the appointments of Wei Sun Christianson and William H Strong as co-CEOs of their Asia Pacific operations. This follows the recent announcement by Owen Thomas (Asia CEO of the firm since February 2008) of returning to US in June.

Christianson has worked with Morgan Stanley for over eight years in Hong Kong and Beijing, and has been active in the investment banking industry in China for over 15 years. She is currently CEO of Morgan Stanley China and will continue in this role in addition to her new responsibilities.

Chicago-based, Strong, currently a vice chairman of investment banking and head of the US Midwestern region for Morgan Stanley, comes with over 30 years of experience in the investment banking industry. Out of which, he has spent 18 years with Morgan Stanley.
 
Commenting on the appointments, James P Gorman, president and CEO of Morgan Stanley, said, “With China at its heart, Asia Pacific is a critical growth region for the firm and an increasingly important part of our global business. Morgan Stanley has built a leading and differentiated franchise in the region, most recently under the stewardship of Owen Thomas, and we will continue to invest in and expand our platforms and further grow market share there.”
 
Colm Kelleher, co-president of institutional securities and head of Europe, the Middle East, Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific said: “Bill and Wei are two of our most experienced and respected bankers. As the Asia Pacific market grows in scale and economic importance, we will continue to focus on serving domestic and regional clients, as well as bringing our Asia insight and expertise to our global client base. We feel that Bill and Wei are a powerful combination and the right team to lead Morgan Stanley in our next phase of growth and expansion.”
 
While Strong will relocate to Hong Kong in the near future to take over his role, Christianson will continue to be based in Beijing.