Isaac Thong has joined Aberdeen Investment, based in Singapore, as senior investment director, Asian equities. He will lead the UK asset manager’s Asian income strategies, as well as being part of the Asia Pacific Equity team.
Thong (pictured) will report directly to Flavia Cheong, head of Asia Pacific equities, and replaces Yoojeong Oh, who is leaving the firm to pursue other interests, according to a statement by Aberdeen.
Thong has over 15 years experience in the financial industry. Most recently, he was at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, where he was an executive director of equities and held portfolio manager roles focused on global emerging markets and Asian equities across both the UK and Singapore.
These included the JPM Emerging Markets Income Fund and JPMorgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, which he co managed.
Cheong commented on the appointment: “Isaac joins a growing Asian income franchise where we have strong conviction and brings an excellent track record and strong pedigree to our talented team.
Thong added: “While the region is often perceived solely as a growth market, more than half of the companies in Asia offer a dividend yield exceeding 2.5% per annum. We’re seeing a significant shift as corporations aim to enhance total shareholder returns through more structured dividend policies and share buyback initiatives.”
