Cult Wines, a global provider of fine wine investment management services, has appointed Eddie Kir as its head of business development, North Asia. Operating out of the Hong Kong office, Kir will focus on expanding the company’s network of partnerships with financial intermediaries in mainland China, Hong Kong and Japan, including local and regional wealth managers, family offices and private banks.

Kir has over 20 years of business development, sales and marketing experience at asset management firms, having worked in both New York and Hong Kong. His previous employers include UBS Global Asset Management, China Everbright Asset Management, Galaxy Asset Management and SinoPac Asset Management.

He was most recently head of asset management, Asia at Commerzbank AG.

Tom Gearing, managing director of Cult Wines, says, “With mounting investor appetite and tremendous growth potential in the Asia-Pacific region, there is considerable scope to forge alliances with local asset and wealth managers looking to offer their clients an alternative investment opportunity.

“Eddie marks our second senior Asia-Pacific Business Development hire in recent months – both established professionals from the financial sector – and we look forward to further developing and expanding our relationships with our partners in the region.”

Cult Wines is headquartered in London, with regional offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. The company has a global client base and assets under management exceeding 120 million pounds.