Ninety One has appointed seasoned fixed income specialist Alan Siow co-head of emerging market corporate debt. Siow joins fellow co-head and Citywire A-rated fund manager Victoria Harling in overseeing the $1.7 billion (?1.57 billion) Emerging Markets Corporate Debt fund, Citywire Selector has learned. It is understood the addition of Siow helps expand the regional coverage of the long-running strategy.

It also marks a change in emphasis for Siow, who was redeployed from London to Hong Kong in August 2020 to spearhead the group?s Asia efforts. He currently leads on the All China and Asia Dynamic Bond funds. A spokesperson for Ninety One confirmed the change to Citywire Selector and said the new senior posting for Siow, who joined the company five years ago, reflects a natural progression within the team, which comes amid growth and development of the asset class.

The former RBC BlueBay fund manager also currently assists Harling on an investment grade-focused version of the EM Corporate Debt fund, which has $421m in assets under management. His assignment to the larger fund comes amid a purple patch in performance for the strategy, which Harling has been on since early 2012. On a three-year, total return basis, the Ninety One Emerging Markets Corporate Debt fund is down in absolute terms but is well ahead of its peers.

Siow?s new role comes amid a spate of wider changes within the group?s EM corporate bond strategy, according to Morningstar. Harling relies on Siow for his Asia market knowledge as he oversees corporate debt strategies focused on the region and is a lead credit analyst on real estate sectors.