A spokesperson for Axa IM confirmed that Flood had left for “personal reasons” and will be replaced by shareholder representative for Asia, Bruno Guilloton.
“We can confirm that Simon Flood has for person reasons decided to leave Axa IM in order to return home to New Zealand,” the spokesperson said. “We would like to thank him for the significant contribution he has made to our continued growth in Asia Pacific and wish him the very best for the future.”
Flood joined the company in August 2014 to develop its position in the Asia Pacific region including Japan.
He succeeded Jean-Pierre Leoni in the role, and was also a member of Axa IM’s executive committee.
Commenting at the time, Flood said: “I am very pleased to be joining Axa IM at what is a very exciting time for the business.
“I hope that my years of experience in the industry will help Axa IM grow its retail and institutional business across the region.”
He joined from Lion Global Investors, where he was chief investment officer.
Guilloton will assume Flood’s role from May 2015, subject to regulatory approval, and will continue to oversee the company’s relationship with its joint ventures in Shanghai, Seoul, and Mumbai.
For the last seven years, Guilloton has been the shareholder representative for Asia, with a focus on business development and join ventures. He is also a board member for all four of Axa IM’s Asian entities.
He joined the company in 1999 as head of equities, after previously working as head of equity fund management at Credit Mutuel Finance for five years.