PIMCO hires from Goldman Sachs

PIMCO has hired Sam Watkins as executive vice president and business head of Australia and New Zealand.

Watkins joins the fixed income investment manager from Goldman Sachs where he was most recently managing director and head of equity finance Product, Asia Pacific.

Before Goldman Sachs, Watkins worked at Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse as a director, and Macquarie Bank, where he held various key positions in its equities and derivatives businesses.

Reporting to Alec Kersman, head of Asia-Pacific, he will work with Rob Mead, head of PIMCO Australia and co-head of APAC portfolio management, Eric Frerer, head of institutional account management, and Brendon Rodda, head of distribution, global wealth management.

Watkins will also have local oversight of business management functions.

"Sam is a tremendous addition to our firm and our business leadership in Australia," said Kersman.

"Sam will lead our talented teams in these markets to continue to deliver PIMCO's industry-leading investment solutions."

Mead added that Watkins brings a differentiated skill set that will further empower the team and help deepen and broaden PIMCO's client relationships. "We look forward to partnering with Sam to continue to deliver innovative solutions and exemplary client service."