Threadneedle Investments will open a representative office in Seoul, South Korea as part of the company’s expansion in Asia. Chris Lee joins Threadneedle as the Korea Chief Representative from Samsung Asset Management.
Mr Lee and his team in Korea can better understand and appreciate the ongoing interests and requirements of the Korean investors, which means we are in a stronger position to offer better service and attractive global investment products to the Korean community.
“In recent years, the Korean market has become increasingly integrated with global financial markets and, as a result, Korean institutional investors are increasingly seeking to access overseas markets in order to achieve better risk diversification and improved returns,” said Raymundo Yu, Chairman, Asia Pacific, Threadneedle Investments. “We believe that Korea presents great opportunities for us to serve institutional investors in Asia by offering our suite of outstanding investment strategies across asset classes. The opening of our Korean representative office marks yet another key milestone for Threadneedle’s growing presence in Asia.”
Part of Ameriprise Financial, Threadneedle established its presence in Asia in 2008 and has offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. The company’s growth in Asia builds on its established presence and considerable investment capabilities as well as those of Columbia Management, the group’s US-based investment manager.
“The establishment of a representative office in Korea is only the first step in our long-term commitment to the market. Mr Lee is an invaluable addition to Threadneedle’s Asia team. He brings a wealth of local market intelligence and fund industry expertise that will greatly benefit our clients in Korea as we build closer relationships with them,” said June Wong, Threadneedle’s Vice Chairman, Asia Pacific and Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong.
Mr Lee has over 20 years of experience in managing and advising on institutional investments as both an internal and external investment manager. Before joining Threadneedle, he has led the global business as head of overseas investment team in the Global Business Division at Samsung Asset Management, Korea, where he was responsible for global asset allocation funds and managing key relationships with Korean institutional investors. In addition he established and led Samsung Asset Management operations in Singapore as Managing Director and CEO. Mr Lee also worked at various investment units of Samsung Life Insurance in Seoul and Samsung Life Investment in the UK.
“Threadneedle’s presence in Korea is essential for our global business strategy and will enable us to capture opportunities in a highly relationship-driven environment. I look forward to working closely with Threadneedle’s Asia team to deliver client-focused solutions to institutional investors in Korea,” said Mr Lee.