Specialist Asian fund manager Coupland Cardiff Asset Management (CCAM) has appointed Jonathan Dobson to manage the firm’s Japan equity funds.
Specialist Asian fund manager Coupland Cardiff Asset Management (CCAM) has appointed Jonathan Dobson to manage the firm’s Japan equity funds.
Focusing on the Japanese market, Dobson will work closely with Angus Coupland and other members of the four-strong investment team. He will join CCAM at the start of 2007 and will launch the CC Japan Alpha Plus Fund shortly after.
Dobson has spent 13 years in the asset management industry and joins CCAM from JP Morgan Asset Management where, as Managing Director, he managed various JF funds from both Tokyo and London. Most recently, he was responsible for the top-performing JF Japan Alpha Plus Fund.
CCAM launched its first fund, CC Asia Absolute Return Fund in July 2005 and has achieved returns (net of fees in USD) of +27.63% to the end of August 2006, with a YTD return of +16.41%.
CCAM manages money on behalf of family offices and institutions in the Asia Pacific region, and is primarily focused on delivering top quality performance, coupled with high degrees of client service within a robust operational infrastructure.
In the last year the group’s total assets under management have increased 20 fold, and as at September 2006, assets under management stood at USD 310 million.
‘We are delighted that Jonathan has joined the team to head up our Japanese business,’ says Richard Cardiff, Chief Executive Officer of Coupland Cardiff. ‘His proven track record and experience along with his depth of understanding of the needs of institutional investors and their advisers will be invaluable in the next stage of the company’s development.
‘We continue to focus our business on the needs of institutional investors. As we celebrate the company’s first anniversary we continue to increase our team and actively seek to add exceptional talent to ensure that we continue to deliver the high quality returns our clients expect. Recent hires have included Jinesh Patel from UBS, where he ran the Asian event driven sales team, following seven years in Asia as a highly rated telecommunications analyst, in the II Telecoms survey.
‘As the markets in the Asian region expand and develop and as the more mature markets in the West start to slow, the opportunities that are available in some of the World’s most exciting markets remain very attractive. As more and more investors seek to diversify away from traditional large weightings in the West, the Asian markets will see a rise in liquidity and efficiency which will provide potentially large gains on both the long and short side.’
Commenting on his appointment Jonathan Dobson, CIO-Japan, adds: ‘I am excited about joining the team at Coupland Cardiff and look forward to building a significant business in the Japanese market. Having worked with both Angus Coupland and Richard Cardiff for many years, the quality of the business they have built, their focus on performance and their attitude to operational integrity, were all key factors behind my decision to join the team.’
Background notes: Founded in December 2004, Coupland Cardiff Asset Management LLP is an independent, London-based, specialist Asian investment management company. Richard and Angus spent circa 10 years with JF Asset Management, Asia’s leading fund management company before setting up CCAM. As at September 2006, CCAM had assets under management of USD 310 million and recently closed its fund to new business, to preserve the fund’s performance objectives. Coupland Cardiff has a staff of five, including four senior investment professionals. Its partners have over 40 years’ investment experience.
