Ex-Sparx Chief Operating Officer Joins Goldman Sachs Asset

Masaki Taniguchi, a former executive at Sparx Group Co. (8739), has rejoined Goldman Sachs Asset Management in Hong Kong as the head of product development in the Asia- Pacific region, according to an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg News.

Edward Naylor, a Hong Kong-based spokesman for Goldman Sachs Group Inc., confirmed the content of the memo.

Taniguchi, based in Hong Kong, rejoined Goldman Sachs Asset Management after being with Tokyo-based Sparx for a decade, according to the memo. Prior to Sparx, he worked for Goldman Sachs Asset Management in Japan, where he served in various roles, including strategic planning and institutional marketing.

In March 2011, Taniguchi was appointed as the group chief operating officer at Sparx and relocated to Hong Kong from Tokyo as the Japanese asset manager planned to expand its business in Asia.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tomoko Yamazaki in Singapore at tyamazaki@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andreea Papuc at apapuc1@bloomberg.net