Academic and former diplomat Kishore Mahbubani has gone from client to chairman at a boutique fund manager.
Five-year-old Aggregate Asset Management (AAM) announced yesterday that the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy dean has joined the board as non-executive chairman and non-executive director.
He has parked his money with the fund house, which sets a minimum investment amount of $150,000, for almost three years.
Professor Mahbubani, who also serves on other boards, including those of Zurich Insurance Group and commodity giant Wilmar International, told The Straits Times: "I look forward to enhancing the team's pool of knowledge by lending relevant geopolitical insights to navigate market cycles."
The ex-diplomat last year gave a keynote address on the economic potential of the rise of Asia at a retirement seminar jointly organised by AAM and The Business Times.
AAM, which opened in 2012, made a splash in the wealth management scene here by being the first fund house to charge only a performance fee and not a management fee. Its flagship fund has since recorded a net average of 11.31 per cent in annualised total returns.
Prof Mahbubani added: "I believe in the management team's capabilities and the long-term performance prospects of the fund, investing in the untapped opportunities across Asia's high-growth emerging markets."
Annabeth Leow