<article>Amid a challenging investment landscape stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been top leadership changes at major private asset management firms in Asia.</article>

Amid a challenging investment landscape stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been top leadership changes at major private asset management firms in Asia.
BlackRock Asia&#8217;s alternatives head Crawley leaves firm
Oisin Crawley, chairman of BlackRock’s Asia-Pacific alternatives division, has left the firm “to pursue other opportunities,” according to the private investment group.
Crawley joined BlackRock in January 2014 as head of Asian equity research, and took over the role of its alternatives head in May 2019. 
His responsibilities have been assumed by Michael Dennis, who is currently heading the Asia Pacific capital markets unit. He will become the head of Alternatives Strategy and Capital Markets for Asia Pacific. 
Dennis has “plenty of hands-on experience in alternatives sourcing and deal execution across APAC,” said BlackRock.
“In this new role, Michael will conceive and drive a strategic vision for our alternatives business in Asia Pacific, and work closely with regional BlackRock Alternative Investors team and our distribution partners,” the asset management firm said. 
The change at the Asia Pacific alternatives unit comes as BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager with some $7 trillion in assets under management, tackles the impact of the global coronavirus health crisis.
In his latest letter to shareholders, BlackRock chairman Larry Fink said the events will reshape the investment landscape. 
“The outbreak has not simply pressured financial markets and near-term growth: it has sparked a reevaluation of many assumptions about the global economy, such as our infatuation with just-in-time supply chains or our reliance on international air travel,” Fink wrote. 
“When we exit this crisis, the world will be different. Investors’ psychology will change. Business will change. Consumption will change.”
HarbourVest Tokyo gets new co-head
Boston-headquartered fund of funds HarbourVest Partners has appointed a new managing director and co-head of its Tokyo office. Tadasu Matsuo, who has more than 30 years of experience in the industry, will join fellow Tokyo co-head and managing director Tatsuya Kubo.
Before HarbourVest, Matsuo headed the alternative investments unit at Japan Post Insurance, overseeing private equity, infrastructure and real-estate fund, and hedge fund strategies. He was previously with private equity fund of funds manager Alternative Investment Capital in Japan. 
HarbourVest, which has more than $42 billion in assets under management, has investments spanning buyout, growth equity and mezzanine strategies, across the globe.

Former Japan Post Insurance alternative investments head Tadasu Matsuo is joining HarbourVest Partners as its Tokyo co-head.

People digest: BlackRock Asia alts head departs; HarbourVest appoints Japan co-head

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People digest: BlackRock Asia alts head departs; HarbourVest appoints Japan co-head

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