Japan-headquartered Amova Asset Management has named Tamon Watanabe as a candidate for outside director, with plans to appoint him chair of the board following its annual general meeting on 25 June 2026.
The firm, formerly known as Nikko Asset Management, said Watanabe’s appointment would be formalised at the shareholder meeting before a subsequent board meeting confirms him as chair.
Watanabe has held leadership and board roles at Japanese and international asset managers including Nomura Asset Management and Franklin Templeton’s Japan business.
Watanabe is experienced in both operational management and oversight of asset management firms.
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The asset manager said its board currently consists of 11 directors, nine of whom are outside directors. Five directors are women and five are non-Japanese, which the firm said supports an independent and transparent governance structure.
Amova AM added that it has sought to align its governance framework with international standards, noting it appointed an outside director as chair of the board in May 2018, ahead of broader governance reforms across Japan’s asset management sector.
