DWS Appoints Lidia Tomova as new CEO of DWS Australia

DWS has appointed Lidia Tomova as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in Australia, from 1 March 2024. Pending regulatory approval, Lidia will also be appointed as Chairperson of DWS Investments Australia Limited (DIAL). She will continue in her role as Head of Coverage, Australia & New Zealand additionally. Lidia reports to Vanessa Wang, Head of APAC and Head of Coverage, APAC.

Lidia succeeds Chris Robinson as CEO of DWS Australia. This significant leadership appointment follows Lidia’s tenure of 20 years with DWS and Deutsche Bank in Australia and the UK. Chris will continue to lead the Liquid Real Assets business in the Asia Pacific region as Head of Real Estate Securities, APAC.

With her wealth of experience, Lidia will be responsible for shaping the growth strategy of DWS Australia to enhance the brand’s presence and promote a culture of excellence, innovation and collaboration. Leveraging her in-depth knowledge of both the global franchise and the local market, Lidia will play a pivotal role in fostering connections between the Australian team and the DWS global network.

Lidia’s appointment as CEO underlines DWS’ commitment to driving growth and delivering value to clients in the Australian market.

“I am excited and ready to take on a leadership role to grow DWS’ footprint in Australia. We see many opportunities for Australian clients to leverage the firm’s global investment expertise, research knowledge capability and client coverage. Australia is a mature investment market and continues to play a defining role in shaping and driving pension investments. My team and I look forward to forging more partnerships with investors locally,” said Lidia.

Lidia began her career with Deutsche Bank’s Global Markets Division in London, predominantly in client-facing sales roles, reflecting her strong client relationships and market insights in 2004.

Commenting on Lidia’s appointment, Vanessa Wang said: “We are delighted to announce Lidia’s appointment as CEO of DWS Australia and Chairperson of DWS Investments Australia Limited. Lidia’s leadership, experience and vision will be instrumental in driving our strategic objectives and enhancing the value we deliver to our clients and stakeholders in the local market. At the same time, we would like to honour Chris’ leadership and contribution to the business to date. Chris has played a key role in establishing and building our network and client reach in Australia over the past years.”

About DWS Group

DWS Group (DWS) with EUR 896bn of assets under management (as of 31 December 2023) aspires to be one of the world's leading asset managers. Building on more than 60 years of experience, it has a reputation for excellence in Germany, Europe, the Americas and Asia. DWS is recognized by clients globally as a trusted source for integrated investment solutions, stability and innovation across a full spectrum of investment disciplines.

We offer individuals and institutions access to our strong investment capabilities across all major liquid and illiquid asset classes as well as solutions aligned to growth trends. Our diverse expertise in Active, Passive and Alternatives asset management – as well as our deep environmental, social and governance focus – complement each other when creating targeted solutions for our clients. Our expertise and on-the-ground knowledge of our economists, research analysts and investment professionals are brought together in one consistent global CIO View, giving strategic guidance to our investment approach.

DWS wants to innovate and shape the future of investing. We understand that, both as a corporate as well as a trusted advisor to our clients, we have a crucial role in helping to navigate the transition to a more sustainable future. With approximately 4,500 employees in offices all over the world, we are local while being one global team. We are committed to acting on behalf of our clients and investing with their best interests at heart so that they can reach their financial goals, no matter what the future holds. With our entrepreneurial, collaborative spirit, we work every day to deliver outstanding investment results, in both good and challenging times to build the best foundation for our clients’ financial future.