John Pearce has apparently given up his role as chief investment officer with Chinese insurer Ping An Insurance, the AsianInvestor has reported.
Pearce is understood to have returned to Australia and Ping An has not appointed a replacement, the report said.
The former Colonial First State chief executive joined Ping An in January 2007 after resigning from Colonial First State in November 2006.
Pearce replaced Philip Young, who joined the China Pacific Insurance Group. China Pacific is a Carlyle portfolio company.
Joining Colonial First State in June 2000, Pearce became chief executive in January 2003 and for a time was also co-deputy chair of the Investment and Financial Services Association.
In November 2006, prior to Pearce relocating his family to Hong Kong, he said the move was a great opportunity and would involve quite a lot of work with China.
"I really wanted to get much closer to the Asian growth story," he said in 2006.