Alternative Investment Awards 2017

www.wealthandfinance-intl.com 19 Asset Management Company: S.E.A. Asset Management Contact: Alex Zeeh Email: [email protected] Address: 230 Orchard Road, #10-232, Faber House, 238854, Singapore Phone: 00 6567326864 AI170004 S.E.A. S.E.A. Asset Management is a boutique fund manager based in Singapore. We caught up with Alex Zeeh to learn more about the firm and the funds it offers. S.E.A. primarily manages two Luxembourg UCITS compliant SICAV funds besides segregated accounts. The firm’s specialty is Asian small midcap equities as well as Asian short duration high yield bonds, as Alex explains. “Here at S.E.A, our Asian short duration high yield buy-to-hold until maturity strategy is unique and offers the best risk /return in an environ- ment of low or rising interest rates. Our fund’s portfolio usually has an average duration of 1-2 years with a gross yield to worst of 7-9%. The strategy has daily liquidity and all currency risk is hedged into USD.” To ensure that investors receive the best possible returns and feel safe and supported working with the firm, S.E.A has a strong focus on trans- parency and risk management, as Alex is eager to emphasize. “Transparency is what creates trust between wealth managers and their clients, and as such is essential to our success. To achieve this in our managed accounts business, we usually do not take retrocessions from external asset managers and if we receive retrocessions they are passed on back to our clients. On the fund side, we have opted for low and transparent fees. Contrary to most other fund managers we publish the detailed holdings of our funds monthly without delay so that investors can rest assured that we are managing their money efficiently and effectively. “Risk management is also key to ensuring strong returns, which are of vital importance to our clients. There are several strategies to avoid un- necessary volatility. Firstly, benchmark index trackers tend to overcrowd benchmark names. They become overvalued and more vulnerable to liquidity withdrawal inflicted volatility. Down moves thus tend to be more exaggerated. We therefore have decided to be completely uncon- strained and benchmark free.” Within the investment market currently technology plays a key part in the success of firms such as S.E.A, therefore, as Alex concludes, the firm continues to invest in technology to offer clients the very best possible service and support. “Technology is increasingly important in our market, therefore we are making strong use of technology and Fintech solutions available to us. For example, in Switzerland we are engaging FundBase.com for distribution to Swiss Qualified Investors. This focus on technology will remain moving forward as we continue to offer clients the very highest standards of service.” We will also soon be launching a EUR hedged tranche for the S.E.A. Asian High Yield Bond Fund which will be offered in Germany and Switzerland. Best Boutique Fund Manager - Singapore & Best Asia Pacific Focused Fixed-Income Fund (1 Year): S.E.A. Asian High Yield Bond Fund B