Ms Higgins, who will be based in Hong Kong, makes the move to Northern Trust from Brown Brothers Harriman where she was the head of transfer agency for Asia.
According to a statement by the company, Ms Higgins will focus on servicing Northern Trust's Asia-based investment manager clients.
"Additionally, she will focus on bringing expertise and solutions to help Northern Trust’s existing clients distributing their products in Asia, and looking for local time zone support," said the statement.
Northern Trust head in Asia-Pacific William Mak said the region is the fastest-growing sector for the company.
"Caroline's experience working with global clients will be valuable as we continue to grow our capabilities and geographical reach across Asia-Pacific," Mr Mak said.
North Trust head of global fund services Peter Jordan said, "We see an increasing demand from our clients in Asia for tailored fund servicing solutions that support their unique requirements.
"Appointing Caroline to focus on Asia and our cross border business underlines our commitment to continuing to support our clients with fund administration solutions that meet their unique and regionally-specific requirements."
Read more:
Inflation numbers surprise on the upside
No 'GoogleSuper' on the horizon
Possible CHESS replacement one year away: ASX
Investor confidence up again in October
CBA subsidiary makes hybrid security offer
