Job Description
Who we are
Aberdeen Investments is part of Aberdeen Group plc, one of the UK’s leading Wealth & Investments groups.
Strengthening talent and culture is one of our strategic priorities. We strive to make Aberdeen a great place to work so that we can attract and retain the industry’s best talent.
Our people put our stakeholders at the heart of everything they do by helping us to make a positive difference to the lives of our clients, customers, colleagues, shareholders and society.
We are repositioning our specialist asset management business to meet client demand and are committed to providing excellent client service, supported by leading technology and talent.
As a global business, Aberdeen consists of three divisions: Investments, Adviser, and interactive investor (ii). Each division is dedicated to meeting and adapting to our clients' evolving needs.
Our Asia Pacific Investments business has a large, dedicated and highly experienced investment team which has been investing across the region since 1985, and manages all our Asian products, including regional, country, smaller companies, and sustainable investing propositions.
The team has a strong regional footprint with offices in Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, and Sydney. This breadth gives us close proximity to the companies we own and the markets we invest in. Our APAC operations have been based in Singapore since 1992. We invest in Asian companies to grow with them and to help them to become better investors.
Role Definition:
Reporting to the Head of Institutional – South East Asia, the role is part of the team responsible for growing, diversifying and retaining aberdeen's funds under management with SEA institutions, focusing on Malaysia. Working closely with the Head of Institutional – South East Asia, as well as the Malaysian Client Group Team, including the Chief Executive Office – Malaysia, they will work with the Client Directors in identifying, building and managing of relationships with allocated key target institutions including central banks, sovereign wealth funds, insurers, endowment funds, government institutions and other official institutions predominantly in Malaysia.
Working as part of the South East Asia (SEA) Institutional Client team, the role is flexible in playing both a leading role on designated client relationships, pitches and initiatives as well as supporting peers as 2nd chair on other accounts. The role is expected to mentor and guide junior team members as well as work closely with internal stakeholders, such as fund managers, consultant relations and client services to execute the sales and retention strategy.
The role contributes to a robust and well-disciplined sales management process, including prospect identification, project managing complex client engagements (pitches and reviews), acting as the client advocate and ensuring timely and accurate management information.
The role maintains a high knowledge of aberdeen's investment capabilities and our prospects’ needs, in order to idea generate and produce effective client engagement points.
This role is predominantly client facing and will build the Aberdeen's brand in SEA, positioning Aberdeen's as a premier investment house.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Sales Strategy
- Support the execution of a focused sales strategy for the SEA market, predominantly Malaysia. This includes supporting the Head of Client Group – SEA, Institutional Directors and Associate Directors in client relationships and initiatives.
- Contribute to the building of significant funds under management across an array of investment strategies and solutions.
- Work closely with internal stakeholders, including fund managers, legal and compliance and support teams to effectively project-manage the team’s formal client engagements such as proposals, pitches and reviews.
- Work closely with internal stakeholders, including the CMO, Finance, CRM to support the Head of Client Group – SEA with developing and managing the team’s management intelligence, processes and frameworks to maximise the effectiveness of the team, ensure timely management intelligence and conduct business planning.
- Stay abreast of industry developments and collect market intelligence to feedback to the broader business.
- To support the team on stated objectives around individual meeting activity, team pipeline development and team sales conversion.
- Execute programmes required to support the sales effort (e.g. arrange appropriate fund manager / portfolio specialist trips to raise abrdn’s profile and prospects).
- Develop over time, knowledge on abrdn’s investment capabilities to match them with our prospects’ needs. In doing so, generate the ideas and ultimately produce the client engagement points to deepen our value-add to targeted prospects.
- Oversee accurate and timely management information to aid in the execution of decision making.
Cross sell and client retention
- Work closely with the client service team to collectively own client retention, assist them in developing client relationships to effectively cover the day-to-day client servicing and collaborate to troubleshoot client retention issues.
- Identify and support cross-sell opportunities across both Institutional and Wholesale sales channels.
- Utilise Salesforce to tier clients, maintain meeting notes and ensure account plans of key prospects are kept up to date and accurate.
- Maintain updated client distribution lists for various purposes, including sending product proposals, thought leadership content and event invitations.
- Work closely with internal stakeholders, including fund managers, legal and compliance and operations teams to fulfil internal, client and regulatory reporting requirements such as Board meeting packs, client-led bespoke reports and annual fund reports for unit trust products.
Broadly support Institutional Client Group Function
- Ability to take on a range of tasks including internal reporting, research (market, client, competitor, product), ad hoc projects, etc.
- Ensure timely preparation, tracking and delivery of presentation materials for various client outcomes including product pitches, review meetings, due diligence meetings, etc.
- Liaise with industry regulators in Malaysia on issues including regulatory obligations, event planning, training programmes, etc.
- Good understanding of the Know-Your-Client (KYC) process and documentation needed for clients as a first line of defence in ensuring compliance with industry standards.
- Support Wholesale Client Group Function on abovementioned deliverables as a secondary role.
Core Knowledge
- Develop and maintain an excellent knowledge of the sales process.
- Ability to develop strong relationships and be an effective networker.
- Develop and maintain strong knowledge of core products and investment capabilities including equities, fixed income, private markets and multi asset as well as sustainable capabilities.
- Keep abreast of developments in the ESG and Shariah investing spaces, 2 areas which are seeing increasing demand from clients in Malaysia.
- Ability to gather broad market intel and research to identify areas of client interest and better position the team’s approaches.
Core Skills
- Self-starter, highly motivated and can work independently
- High level of personal integrity, regard for our clients and respect for colleagues
- Strong team ethos, with an ability to work in both a supporting and leading role
- Ability to professionally engage clients and represent the abrdn brand
- Ability to plan, organise and take charge of various initiatives
- Outcome orientated, with a focus on achieving sales outcomes
- Excellent communication skills: written and spoken, both face-to-face and over the telephone
- Excellent time management skills: able to juggle multiple tasks and willing to go the extra mile if needed
Talents
- Networking – builds a range of contacts both internally and externally and uses their knowledge to gain business advantage.
- Teamwork – is supportive of colleagues and is willing to share ideas and listen to others.
- Information gathering – knows where to get relevant information from, making use of all available sources.
- Planning & organising – schedules daily work and does not rely on others to prioritise activities. Able to also assist in coordinating client events together with other stakeholders.
- Client focus – maintains focus on client needs at all times and is flexible when trying to meet and exceed client expectations.
- Communicating & influencing – explains things clearly whether verbally or in writing and can present to a wide audience using an appropriate style and tone.
- Preference for Action – takes ownership for work and will see things through.
- Responsibility – demonstrates strong work ethic and takes initiative to meet client needs. Looks for opportunities to create value for the client.
- Tenacity – copes well with high volumes of work and thrives in a fast-paced work environment.