Eleanor Wan, BEA Union Investment Management
Job title: Chief executive officer
Previous company and job title: Chief executive officer, Institute of Financial Planners of Hong Kong.
Years in the region: Since I was born in Hong Kong.
What do you consider to be your home town? Hong Kong, one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Educational background: I didn’t go to university after my commercial training, instead I continue my study in the University of Life. I am still learning now.
First job in the industry: Thornton Investment Management as the marketing manager. It is now Allianz Global Investors.
What is the toughest challenge you’ve faced in your professional life and what made it so challenging? When I joined BEA Union Investment Management in 2011, I found the infrastructure set-up was inefficient and could not support future growth. I proposed to change the front-to-back operation, a big-bang project. I was new and had to gain trust from the board, while also focusing on business development.
What achievement are you most proud of? The commitment to build out the Asian fixed income capability of BEA Union Investment Management. It involved adding research capability and new systems for performance analysis.
What advice would you give to someone who is beginning their career in the funds industry? Learn the basics to build a good foundation for future career development and think of adding value to the process in performing daily responsibility.
If you could change one thing about the funds industry, what would it be? We should work harder on investor education. One should understand their investment objective before putting money into the market.
What is your greatest ambition? To live a healthy, happy life.
Best investment you’ve made? I invested in some studio apartments ten years ago. Property prices have gone up a lot.
Tell us something about you that most people don’t know: I am rather a transparent person, there is not much that people do not know about me. If it is not known, it will be a secret!
Favourite country to visit? Japan.
Favourite type of food? When I travel, I miss Chinese food.
Favourite book or film? My favourite book is Fit for Life. It talks about diet and recommends dietary principles.
Your house is burning. Your family is safe. You have time to rescue one object. What would it be and why? My phone. It stores all my contacts and pictures that are not easy to restore.
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