The firm hired two Shenzhen-based sector analysts, according to a firm spokeswoman.
Before the appointments, Tan Eng Teck, senior portfolio manager, was supported by three portfolio managers who are based in Hong Kong, according to the firm.
Singapore-based Tan, who is now responsible for leading the China equities team, will be spending time between Singapore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, according to a statement from the firm.
Tan is a senior member of Nikko AM’s Asian equity team, according to the firm’s website. He previously co-managed the firm’s Asia ex-Japan equity strategy with Peter Sartori, Singapore-based head of Asian equities, whom Tan reports to.
Tan is responsible for various China-focused funds, including the All China Equity Fund, the China Equity Fund, the Greater China Fund and the Shenzhen Innovation Equity Fund, according to the spokeswoman.
“We will launch China-focused funds for different segments where there are suitable opportunities, although our immediate focus is on institutional clients,” Tan said via the spokeswoman, in response to an FSA inquiry.
The firm said it also aims to integrate ESG factors into the China equity funds.
Nikko has been investing in China for around 15 years, according to the statement. It was one of the first asset management firms to be certified by the Chinese regulators as a qualified foreign institutional investor (QFII) in 2003 and launched Japan’s first renminbi-denominated government bond fund in 2004.
The firm also owns a 40% stake in Shenzhen-based Rongtong Fund Management.
“The Nikko and Rongtong teams have established strong rapport in analysing information about companies and market research that culminates in the selection of high conviction stocks for our portfolios,” Tan said.
Nikko hired Zhang Yingdong in April this year, according to records from Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission. Zhang, who is registered as a licenced representative of the firm, was appointed as its institutional business development manager for North Asia, according to her Linkedin profile. Before that, she worked with UBS, focusing on China business development.
The Nikko AM China Equity Fund versus its benchmark since its inception
