Bellingham, Wash., Sept. 11, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Saturna Capital Corporation has announced further expansion of its global investment management and research capabilities with the hiring of four analysts based in the United States and Malaysia. The expansion has broadened and enhanced Saturna's ability to uncover less-followed investment opportunities for its growing line-up of international and global strategies. They include the recently launched Sextant Global High Income Fund, Amana Developing World Fund, launched in 2009, and the seventeen-year-old Sextant International Fund.
Saturna Capital's president and CEO Jane Carten contends it is a favorable time to add key investment personnel and explains Saturna's approach. "Growing our analyst team demonstrates our deep commitment to rigorous fundamental security research and analysis. As a global asset manager, we have focused our recruitment efforts on finding seasoned talent with hands-on investment experience in foreign markets."
U.S. and Malaysia-based investment and research staff work seamlessly as one team contributing to the management of all Saturna's U.S.-based and offshore investment products. Analytical responsibilities are divided by sectors, industries, and countries.
Scott Klimo, CFA, has filled the new position of director of research, overseeing Saturna's overall global research operations and leading further expansion of the firm's research capabilities with an emphasis on foreign markets. Tyler Howard has joined as a junior analyst. Messrs. Klimo and Howard are based in Saturna's Bellingham, Washington headquarters.
Christina Yap, CFA, joins as an investment analyst with a primary focus on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Neoh Boon Sing joins as equity analyst with expertise in Malaysia and Singapore markets, specializing in the plantation, consumer, and commercial real estate sectors. Ms. Yap and Mr. Neoh are based in Kuala Lumpur, at Saturna's wholly-owned Malaysian investment management subsidiary Saturna Sdn. Bhd.
Mr. Klimo has 25 years of investment research and management experience. He is a former senior analyst and research director for Security Global Investors in San Francisco where he spent the past six years as a portfolio manager for SGI's global equities and global/international long-short equities strategies. Klimo's experience includes several years living and working in Hong Kong, China, Thailand, and Malaysia.
Mr. Howard spent five years as a research associate and consultant at Carmel Capital Management LLC, a small-cap, value-oriented wealth manager in Carmel, California.
Ms. Yap most recently worked as an investment analyst at Eight Investment Partners, Sydney Australia, and was a research analyst for ING Investment Management.
Mr. Neoh most recently worked as an investment executive at Sitt Tatt Company Sdn. Bhd. and as a corporate finance executive at Sime Darby Bhd., both in Kuala Lumpur.
"Saturna continues to deepen its bench of analysts and steep them in the firm's value investment discipline," added Nick Kaiser, Saturna's chairman, chief investment officer, and portfolio manager. "Our new colleagues are already making valuable contributions to our research and investment management operations, " he pointed out.
For more information about Saturna Capital Corporation and Saturna Sdn. Bhd., visit www.saturna.com or www.saturna.com.my.
About Saturna
"Values-Based Global Equity Managers"
Saturna Capital Corporation, established in 1989 in Bellingham, Washington, USA, is an investment adviser with US$3.8 billion in assets under management, providing investment advisory services to mutual funds, institutions, businesses, individuals, and endowments.
Saturna Capital is adviser to the Amana Mutual Funds (Amana Growth Fund, Amana Income Fund, and Amana Developing World Fund) that follow principles of Islamic finance.
Saturna Capital is also adviser to the Saturna Investment Trust, consisting of Sextant International, Sextant Growth, Sextant Core, Sextant Bond Income, Sextant Short-Term Bond, Sextant Global High Income, and the Idaho Tax-Exempt Fund.
Saturna Sdn. Bhd., located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saturna Capital, specializing in Islamic-compliant investment advisory services for individuals and institutions.
Saturna Capital also has two other wholly-owned subsidiaries: Saturna Brokerage Services, located in Bellingham, Washington, USA, provides general discount brokerage services and distributes Saturna's affiliated mutual funds; and Saturna Trust Company, headquartered in Reno, Nevada, USA, provides trust services to families, charities, trusts, estates, and retirement plans.
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