Director, Asia Procurement – Category Sourcing Lead (Custody)

Position Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Category Ownership

• Lead and execute end-to-end strategic sourcing for Custody, Trustee, Fund Administration, and Transfer Agency categories across Hong Kong and APAC.
• Shape and evolve the procurement function—designing processes, frameworks, governance models, and operating discipline alongside the Head of Category & Country Cluster.
• Provide market insights, category strategy, and financial value delivery aligned with business objectives.

Commercial Management & Value Delivery

• Drive tangible cost savings, commercial optimization, and value creation through challenging the status quo, renegotiating terms, improving contracting structures, and strengthening service quality.
• Conduct RFPs, competitive benchmarking, supplier assessments, contract reviews, and financial/operational due diligence.
• Lead commercial negotiations with global custodians and fund service providers.

Stakeholder & Supplier Management

• Serve as a trusted advisor to internal stakeholders (investment teams, operations, finance, legal, risk, compliance).
• Build and manage executive‑level relationships with global custodians and fund administrators.
• Work closely with risk and compliance teams to ensure ongoing supplier performance, service stability, and regulatory adherence.

Governance, Compliance & Systems Implementation

• Ensure all sourcing activities comply with Procurement Policy, internal controls, and regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions.
• Support implementation and rollout of procurement systems and tooling to business functions.
• Lead and execute end-to-end sourcing for other procurement categories as needed to support enterprise requirements.
• Perform other duties aligned with the scope of the role.

Required Qualifications

Essential Experience & Background

• Experience within Financial Institutions, preferably at an asset manager, fund house, or related buy‑side organization.
• Deep knowledge of custody, fund administration, and trustee services from procurement, operations, or vendor management perspectives.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements and market structures across Hong Kong and APAC.
• Demonstrated experience working with major global custodians (HSBC, Citi, BNY Mellon, State Street, JPMorgan, etc.).
• Strong commercial and contract negotiation skills.
• Experience with procurement systems and platforms (source-to-contract, risk management tools, etc.) is advantageous.
• Highly perspicacious analytical skills with strong ability to interpret complex data and make sound commercial recommendations.
• Proven experience in vendor governance and third‑party risk management.
• University degree in Business, Finance, Procurement, Investment or equivalent with 10+ years of progressive experience.
• Excellent communication skills in English (written and spoken).

Core Competencies

• Strong grasp of procurement best practices, category management, and supplier lifecycle management.
• Analytical decision-maker – able to synthesize complex information, evaluate options, and provide clear, actionable recommendations.
• Innovative and change-oriented – comfortable driving transformation, re-engineering processes, and improving business outcomes in a high-pressure environment.
• Strategic thinker – able to operate with a long-term view, anticipate emerging issues, and influence enterprise decisions.
• Global mindset – appreciates regional differences and can navigate diverse business cultures.
• Relationship builder – able to secure stakeholder buy‑in, influence senior leaders, and foster strong partnerships.
• Exceptional communicator – simplifies complexity, engages effectively with all levels, and represents the company confidently in external forums.
• Collaborative – works seamlessly across teams, sharing knowledge and leveraging enterprise capabilities.