ROCKVILLE, MD. (10 December 2017) – Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), the leading provider of end-to-end governance and responsible investment solutions to the global financial community, today announced the appointment of Warren Chen as Head of Asia ex-Japan Research. Chen will start in January and be based in Singapore.
Chen, who held positions in the corporate governance and investment banking fields for nearly two decades, will be responsible for supervising the preparation and publication of ISS’ proxy research on publicly traded companies in Asian markets outside of Japan.
As a member of ISS’ Global Policy Board, he will also focus on ensuring that ISS’ voting policies and guidelines for Asian markets are consistent with local and regional governance best practices. Chen will lead the Asia ex-Japan research teams in support of ISS’ mission of empowering investors to effectively manage governance opportunities and risks to realize long-term value, as well as interfacing with investors, companies and others seeking to engage with ISS in these markets.
“We are very pleased to announce the addition of Warren to our team based in Singapore and leading the ISS research teams across Asia ex-Japan. His extensive knowledge, skills, and experience will prove invaluable for our clients with portfolio holdings across the region,” said Georgina Marshall, ISS’ Global Head of Research. “We look forward to Warren working with us and our clients in furtherance of our goal of providing institutional investors with high quality research and voting recommendations to support their ownership and voting decisions.”
Previously, Chen spent 12 years with a U.S.-based proxy advisory firm where he built and managed teams covering Asia, North America and Europe. Chen also led that firm’s M&A and proxy contest teams where he oversaw research and recommendations on special situations. Earlier, Chen developed the firm’s quantitative executive compensation analysis framework and led the expansion of its pay-for-performance coverage universe to include international markets.
“I am delighted to lead ISS’ teams for Asia ex-Japan, comprising accomplished analysts and other experts based in Asia covering the region.” said Chen. “The governance landscape for the region has seen significant change in recent years. The teams and I will be sharply focused on ensuring ISS’ clients with exposure to the region receive research, analysis and voting recommendations that reflect the latest developments across the multiple markets of Asia ex-Japan.”
