It is with great sadness and regret that we have to announce that Kevin Pakenham, the Senior Independent Director of the Company, passed away on 19 July 2020.
Kevin had served as a Director of the Company since 2007. During this time, the Board and the shareholders benefited hugely from Kevin's significant knowledge and experience and his special wit and humour. We all extend our condolences and deepest sympathy to Kevin's family at this time.
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An update from our investment manager, Chern-Yeh Kwok - 31 July 2020
Inevitably, market sentiment has been and will continue to be whipsawed by an all-around deluge of news, speculation and uncertainty about the pandemic. In times like these, it becomes imperative to remain steady, sift out information that matters, and focus on what we know. To that end, our process of separating the wheat from the chaff has held up well, even in a market where balance sheets are already known to be strong and conservative.
The majority of Japanese companies should be able to weather this downturn: they retain strong balance sheets, and they have endured multiple disruptions in the past. From a longer-term perspective, we believe the core investment themes in Japan remain intact, and we will continue to focus our in-depth, fundamental research efforts on identifying companies that are world leaders in their fields, run by experienced management, and supported by solid balance sheets.
Japan is home to world-class companies with strong franchises that can play an essential role in any diversified portfolio seeking to deliver long-term growth.
Chern-Yeh Kwok is head of Japanese equities having transferred from the Singapore team in January 2011. Chern-Yeh joined Aberdeen Standard Investments (Asia) in 2005 from MSCI Barra where he was an equity research analyst.
Chern-Yeh graduated with a BA in Journalism from the University of Missouri- Columbia and holds an MSc in Finance from the London Business School.
Hisashi Arakawa joined Aberdeen Standard Investments (Asia) in 2016 and is based in the Tokyo office. He has a MPhys in Physics from the University of Oxford and a MBA from INSEAD and is a CFA® charterholder. He was previously vice president in the corporate banking group of Development Bank of Japan.
Flavia Cheong is Head of Asia Pacific ex Japan Equity on the Asian Equities team, where, as well as sharing responsibility for company research, she oversees regional portfolio construction. Before joining Aberdeen Standard Investments (Asia) in 1996, she was an economist with the Investment Company of the People’s Republic of China, and earlier with the Development Bank of Singapore. Flavia graduated with a BA in Economics and an MA (Hons) in Economics from the University of Auckland. She is a CFA charterholder.
CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are trademarks owned by CFA Institute
Head of Investment Management, Japan
Chern-Yeh Kwok is head of Japanese equities having transferred from the Singapore team in January 2011. Chern-Yeh joined Aberdeen Standard Investments (Asia) in 2005 from MSCI Barra where he was an equity research analyst.
Chern-Yeh graduated with a BA in Journalism from the University of Missouri- Columbia and holds an MSc in Finance from the London Business School.
Deputy Head of Investment Management, Japan
Hisashi Arakawa joined Aberdeen Standard Investments (Asia) in 2016 and is based in the Tokyo office. He has a MPhys in Physics from the University of Oxford and a MBA from INSEAD and is a CFA® charterholder. He was previously vice president in the corporate banking group of Development Bank of Japan.
Head of Equities - Asia Pacific ex Japan
Flavia Cheong is Head of Asia Pacific ex Japan Equity on the Asian Equities team, where, as well as sharing responsibility for company research, she oversees regional portfolio construction. Before joining Aberdeen Standard Investments (Asia) in 1996, she was an economist with the Investment Company of the People’s Republic of China, and earlier with the Development Bank of Singapore. Flavia graduated with a BA in Economics and an MA (Hons) in Economics from the University of Auckland. She is a CFA charterholder.
CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are trademarks owned by CFA Institute
Chairman and Independent Non-Executive Director
Independent Non-Executive Director
Independent Non-Executive Director
| Year End | 31 March |
| Accounts Published | June |
| Annual General Meeting | July |
| Dividend Paid | July, December |