SUSI hires new Asia head after Kerkwijk ‘unexpectedly’ departs

Swiss energy-transition manager SUSI Partners has hired Wymen Chan to head its Asia team, after the sudden departure of its managing director for the region Edgare Kerkwijk set back its fundraising plans by three months.

Chan joins SUSI from Armstrong Asset Management, also as a managing director, and will be leading its Singapore-based investment team from September. Prior to Armstrong, he was at Maybank MEACP and gained exposure through both roles to the renewables and cleantech sectors across Southeast Asia.

Kerkwijk had only been with SUSI since last summer, having joined from Asia Green Capital, and was leading efforts to raise up to €250 million for a Southeast Asia-dedicated vehicle.

His departure appears to have surprised the Swiss manager, which wrote in a recent newsletter: “SUSI unexpectedly had to look for a new team leader for the planned Asia Energy Transition investment strategy in March, which is why a delay of around three months until the product launch must be expected.”

SUSI would not comment further on Kerkwijk’s departure when contacted by Infrastructure Investor.

The manager recently secured a €252 million final close for the world’s first energy storage fund. The fund closed slightly above its €250 million hard-cap following support from insurance firms and pension funds in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden and Switzerland and comes after a little under two years of fundraising.