Career opportunities

What attracted me to FSSA was the people. The team is ambitious yet supportive, influential yet thoughtful, and the opportunities, if you are willing to take advantage of them, are plenty. As an investment team we place great emphasis on the people in which we entrust our clients’ capital. Constantly analysing management teams has given us a pretty good inkling for what to look for in exceptional people and what makes them tick. Introspectively, this has led to an environment that cares deeply about integrity, openness and trust; and where there is real sense of ownership.  

At FSSA I spend my time doing work that is both rewarding and stimulating. We work as generalists, not specialists, and each day I am exposed to a fascinating array of subjects where the learning never ceases. If you have a passion for knowledge and an open and curious mind then this is a fantastic environment to grow. Here it’s all about deep thought and working together with a team of exceptional individuals to make the best possible investment decisions.

My advice to any new joiner is to be prepared to be constantly humbled by what you don’t know, seek pleasure in the investigative thrill of addressing this, and feel inspired by posing unique questions and listening to compelling answers.

I joined the FSSA team in 2012 as a graduate analyst hired from mainland China. I was impressed by the team’s humble and open culture; and I had always been curious about topics such as how societies changed, how companies evolved and how entrepreneurs looked at things – hence my interest in a fundamental research career.

My role involved analysing China A-Share companies at first, and gradually expanded to offshore China and Taiwan. I then assumed portfolio management responsibilities in 2019. To me, the best part of the job is growing along with our investee companies, and seeing them become more sophisticated businesses over time, through all the ups and downs. In my experience, if you find your true interests, the team will support you to pursue it.

I was attracted to join FSSA by the quality of my discussions with team members during the interview process. It became immediately clear that the investing philosophy here is different. The discussions were around people running businesses, their long-term track records and integrity, and not around modelling or forecasting skills. I was interested in the concept of long-term investing and this felt like the ideal place to pursue it. 

We are a team of bottom-up investors, all of whom are generalists. We don’t spend our time trying to assess the direction of interest rates or currency movements. Instead, we are focused on identifying high-quality businesses run by people we can trust. Analysts are actively encouraged to pursue their areas of interest – by sector or country. There is also a strong culture of debate. Each member of the team is expected to challenge research and find potential areas of risk, which only makes the investment process more robust. This is consistently encouraged by the most senior members of the team.

To any new joiner – the most exciting part of the job is that it is a constant learning experience. Being curious and passionate about investing are critical.