MFC Global Investment Management has named Chris Conkey as chief investment officer, global equities, the company announced on Monday.

The appointment is effective immediately. Based in Boston, Conkey will report directly to J-F Courville, president and CEO of MFC Global, which is the asset management arm of Manulife Financial (TSX:MFC).

Conkey will lead the company’s equity group, and be responsible for the overall investment performance and risk management of the firm’s portfolio of equity strategies globally. He also will be responsible for developing and overseeing the execution of all strategic, financial, and operating plans and policies for the equity teams around the world. He will be a member of the MFC Global Investment Management executive committee.

Conkey will work closely with Barry Evans, chief investment officer, global fixed income, and Mark Schmeer, chief investment officer, asset allocation, strategy and research to generate strong returns across all public market strategies for the benefit of MFC Global clients. Schmeer previously held the role being taken on by Conkey.

MFC Global has equity teams in Toronto, Boston, Berwyn, London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, as well as throughout Southeast Asia including the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

“We are delighted to have Chris join the MFC Global team at this important stage of our growth,” said Courville. “Chris Conkey is a seasoned investment professional with a strong track record of building and motivating teams within a performance-oriented culture.”

Conkey brings nearly 25 years of investment management experience across fixed income and equity asset classes to the role. Most recently, he was chief investment officer of Evergreen Investment Management Company where he had overall management responsibility for $180 billion in assets. He was the chair of the investment strategy committee and led several distinct teams in managing fixed income, equity and alternatives strategies.

Prior to his role as CIO, Conkey spent three years as Evergreen’s equity chief investment officer, following a merger between Keystone Investments and Evergreen. Conkey spent 13 years at Keystone, where he held several investment management positions, culminating with the role of president and chief investment officer.

Conkey graduated from Clark University with a B.A. in Economics and later earned an MBA from Boston University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

IE