Threadneedle Investments (Threadneedle), a leading international asset manager, announces the appointment of Soo Nam Ng as Head of Asian Equities (Asia), along with four additional prominent hires adding significantly to the firm’s capabilities in the region. All five members of the new team have worked together during their careers. Bernard Lim joins as Senior Fund Manager, Asia Pacific ex Japan; Christine Seng as Fund Manager, Singapore and Australia; Weixiong Liang as Analyst and Wee Jia Low as Senior Associate.  They will be based in Threadneedle’s Singapore office.

The new team will work closely with Threadneedle’s long-standing Asian Equities team of seven headed by Vanessa Donegan, which currently manages £3.6bn out of London and Singapore (as at 31 August 2013). The new team will complement our established Asian Equities team, with the additional resources and expertise in Singapore providing added depth to our overall capability for the benefit of our clients. The Singapore-based team will focus on further building the firm’s offering for Asian investors.

Soo Nam Ng reports to Leigh Harrison, Head of Equities at Threadneedle. Bernard Lim, Christine Seng, Weixiong Liang and Wee Jia Low report to Soo Nam.

Mr Raymundo Yu, Threadneedle’s Asia Pacific Chairman commented: “I’m extremely pleased to welcome Soo Nam, Bernard, Christine, Weixiong and Wee Jia to our growing team in Singapore. Soo Nam has earned a reputation as one of Singapore’s most talented fund managers and he brings formidable experience both as an investor and in building and developing investment teams. All five of the team members bring substantial knowledge and Asian market experience to Threadneedle and having worked together before they give us a very strong established team capability.  This is an important strategic milestone for Threadneedle and further demonstrates our commitment to building a truly client-focused business for investors across Asia.”

Mr Mark Burgess, Threadneedle’s Chief Investment Officer commented: “We have a strong team-based approach at Threadneedle, with a culture of open discussion, debate and sharing of ideas to give us a global perspective advantage. We are very much looking forward to the new team joining in Singapore – the breadth of expertise adds a new dimension to our Asian equities investment capability and we look forward to benefiting from their knowledge, insights and experience on the ground in Asia.”

Soo Nam Ng joins Threadneedle from Nikko Asset Management where he was Chief Investment Officer.  Soo Nam is a veteran in the fund management industry, having spent more than 18 years focusing on Asia Pacific ex Japan equity markets and is an award-winning portfolio manager.  He began his career at Schroders Investment Management (Singapore) in 1995.  In late 2004, Soo Nam left Schroders to join Mirae Asset Global Investments, one of the leading asset management firms from Korea, to build and lead their Asia Pacific ex Japan equities team in Singapore and Hong Kong. He joined Nikko Asset Management Asia as Chief Investment Officer in 2007, where he managed a team of more than 20 investment professionals including equity and fixed income specialists.  He directly spearheaded its Asia Pacific ex Japan equity strategy and chaired its Asset Allocation Committee for Asia balanced mandates.  Upon the merger of Nikko’s Singapore operations with DBS Asset Management in Oct 2011, he successfully integrated the investment teams and strengthened its investment process and execution platform.

Bernard Lim joins Threadneedle from Fullerton Fund Management where he was Senior Vice President, Equities, with responsibility for the firm’s Asia Focus mandates. He was also country specialist for Hong Kong, and covered the technology and energy sectors.  Bernard brings 20 years investment experience to Threadneedle. Prior to his role at Fullerton, he was Chief Investment Officer in Singapore at Mirae Asset Global Investment Management. He was also lead portfolio manager for Mirae’s flagship Asia Pacific ex Japan regional fund from 2005 to 2008. Prior to his time at Mirae, Bernard held senior investment positions at Rothschild Asset Management, Murray Johnstone and United Overseas Bank.

Christine Seng joins Threadneedle from Nikko Asset Management where she was a Portfolio Manager and was responsible for an award winning dividend yield fund.  Christine has been in the fund management industry for the last 14 years.  She was a founding member of the Asia Pacific ex Japan equity team at Mirae Asset Global Investments, from late 2004 to late 2007, where she gained valuable experience working as part of a regional team (which included Soo Nam and Bernard Lim).  Christine joined Nikko Asset Management in late 2007, and has managed specialist mandates such as Asia REIT and High Dividend Yield funds, apart from being a member of its Asia Pacific ex Japan regional equity team.

Weixiong Liang joins Threadneedle from Nikko Asset Management where he was a Portfolio Manager. Prior to that he was an Investment Strategist at Standard Chartered Bank and an Equity Analyst at Nikko Asset Management.

Wee Jia Low joins Threadneedle from Nikko Asset Management where he was an Equity Analyst.

Threadneedle established a presence in Asia in 2008 and has offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Australia.  Part of Ameriprise Financial (NYSE: AMP), the company last year announced plans to expand its Asian business, building on its established presence and considerable investment capabilities, and that of Columbia Management, the US-based asset management subsidiary of Ameriprise Financial.

The post Leading Asian equities team joins Threadneedle Investments appeared first on AdviserVoice.