Associate – Institutional Sales

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 abrdn’s funds under management with SEA institutions, focusing on Malaysia. Working closely with colleagues in the Institutional Client Group – South East Asia Team, they will support the building and managing of relationships with key target institutions including central banks, sovereign wealth funds, endowment funds, government institutions, insurers and other official institutions predominantly in Malaysia, but may also support efforts across South East Asia.

Working as part of the South East Asia (SEA) Client Group team, the role is flexible to play both a supporting role in client management and also supporting the Head of Client Group - SEA, on business planning and sales management.  The role works closely with front office stakeholders, such as fund managers, consultant relations and client services to execute the sales and retention strategy, as well as business stakeholders, such as the CMO, Finance and CRM to assist the Head of Client Group – SEA to ensure the effective operation of the team.

The role contributes to a robust and well-disciplined sales management process, including supporting project managing complex client engagements (pitches and reviews).

The role will also be flexible in supporting the Wholesale effort in Malaysia, to assist in establishing and supporting of distributor relationships.

The role will develop a high knowledge of abrdn’s investment capabilities and our prospects’ needs, in order to idea generate and produce effective client engagement points.

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.

We’re committed to providing an inclusive workplace where all forms of difference are valued and which is free from any form of unfair or unlawful treatment.  We define diversity in its broadest sense – this includes but is not limited to our diversity of educational and professional backgrounds, experience, cognitive and neurodiversity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief and ethnicity and geographical provenance.  We support a culture that values meritocracy, fairness and transparency and welcomes enquiries from everyone.

If you need assistance or an adjustment due to a disability please let us know as part of your application and we will assist.