Octagon Capital Managment

Octagon Capital is the largest Asian-focused quantitative investment firm in Singapore. It is founded and majority owned by the partners of the firm – Nelson Chia and Lam Poh Min, both of whom worked previously for the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC).

Octagon currently manages two Cayman domiciled funds namely the Octagon Pan Asia Fund and the Octagon Tactical Short Fund. The Octagon Pan Asia Fund was awarded the "Best Local Hedge Fund (Singapore)" at Asian Masters of Hedge Fund Awards 2007.

Octagon’s global clientele comprises largely institutions such as government agencies, endowment, family offices, fund of funds and financial institutions. The company adopts a quantitative and systematic approach to investing, believing that investment discipline is the key to consistently superior risk-adjusted returns. Its investment philosophy centers on the following 4 principles:

Poh Min has 14 years of portfolio management experience. Prior to founding Octagon in April 04, he spent 9 years in New York and Singapore with GIC - one of Asia's largest institutional investors with assets under management exceeding US$100 billion. He was a Senior Portfolio Manager in the Quantitative Investment Unit (QIU) and was instrumental in pioneering and developing Quant Equities, Quant Fixed Income, as well as Convertibles Investing in GIC. As the quantitative arm of the firm, QIU has a multi-billion dollar portfolio mandate while acting as the quantitative advisory to the Asset Departments. Poh Min has extensive modeling experience, having implemented systems ranging from Equities Momentum Model, Equity-Based Credit Trading Model to Interest Rate Valuation Model. He was also responsible for conceiving and developing the GIC Fixed Income and Convertible Risk Management Systems. This was complemented by one of the most extensive portfolio experiences in the firm. He was responsible for managing portfolios ranging from Enhanced Equities, Global Convertibles, Multi-Strategy Absolute Return, Long/Short Credit to Global Fixed Income. He graduated as the top student in Computer Science, with a BSc (1^st Class Honors) from the National University of Singapore. His major was in computer algorithms.

Nelson has 14 years of trading experience. Prior to founding Octagon in April 04, he spent 9 years in New York, London and Singapore with GIC. He was one of the firm's most experienced Equity Trader and has traded in all of the major global equity markets, including Pan-Asia, Australia, US, Canada as well as Europe. His product experience is also equally diverse, spanning both equities and equity derivatives. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics & Finance) from the Curtin University of Technology in Australia.

Jee Ngee has 19 years of portfolio management experience. Prior to joining Octagon in Jul 08, he spent 15 years in New York, London and Singapore with the GIC and subsequently 3 years at OCBC Bank, one of Asia's leading financial services groups. At GIC, Jee Ngee was the Head of QIU and was instrumental in pioneering and developing Quantitative Investing within the firm from its beginnings in the mid 1990s till his departure in 2004. Jee Ngee has extensive modeling experience, having developed trading models, risk management systems as well an investment framework for Multi-Strategy Absolute Return investing. This was complemented by one of the most extensive portfolio experiences in the firm. Specializing in macro strategies, he was responsible for managing portfolios ranging from Multi Strategy Absolute Return, Global Fixed Income to Enhanced Equities. He was also a Founding Member of the Alternative Investment Unit at GIC, actively involved in developing the process and platform for GIC’s investment into global hedge funds. At OCBC, Jee Ngee was the Head of Proprietary Investment Unit (PIU), a new unit he set up to help the bank invest its capital through macro strategies within a disciplined quantitative framework. He graduated with an MBA from NYU and with a BSc (Honors) in Computer Science from the National University of Singapore

David has 12 years of systems research and development experience. He has extensive knowledge and experience in computer algorithms design/analysis as well as implementation of software systems/solutions. Prior to joining Octagon in March 07, he was Chief Technology Officer at Converscient Pte Ltd, a software development company that he co-founded since 2002 where he spearheaded the development of IT infrastructure projects for corporations. He also spent four years in academia as a Teaching Assistant/Researcher in the School of Computing in the National University of Singapore (NUS) as well as two years as a Senior Software Engineer at ReasonEdge Technologies Pte Ltd, a spin off company of NUS Technology Holdings. He graduated from NUS with a MSc (by research) and BSc (2^nd Upper Honours) in Computer Science. His major was in computer algorithms.

SOH PEI SONG, TRADER

Pei Song has 2 years of trading experience. Prior to joining Octagon in April 07, he spent 2 ½ years with Deloitte & Touche. He was an Audit Senior in the Global Financial Services Industry department where he performed audit for securities and insurance firms. He graduated from Nanyang Technological University with a Bachelor of Accountancy. He is currently pursuing the CFA charter and has completed the Level II exams.

Vivienne has 14 years of marketing/business development experience, with 11 years’ experience in the fund management business. Prior to joining Octagon in June 06, she was with Lion Capital Management, Schroder Investment Management and UOB Asset Management (UOBAM). She covered institutional clients, including national pension funds, government organizations, corporates, financial institutions as well as high net worth individuals in the region. In addition to marketing/client servicing, Vivienne also had responsibilities in product development/management at Schroders as well as UOBAM. She graduated with a Master of Business Administration degree from University of Leicester and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the National University of Singapore.

Yin Ling has 11 years of investment operations experience. Before joining Octagon in August 04, she spent 5 years with GIC. She was an Investment Assistant in QIU, providing middle office and research support to the portfolio managers dealing in both global equity and fixed income instruments. Prior to GIC, she was a Settlement Assistant with Kookmin Bank Singapore (Merchant Bank) Ltd for 2 years, providing back office support to the traders of the bank. She graduated with a Bachelor of Business and Electronic Commerce from Monash University, Australia.

Phyllis has 19 years of experience in the financial sector. Prior to joining Octagon in August 06, she spent 16 years in various departments within HSBC including Wealth Management, Personal Banking and Asian Currency Unit, providing middle and back office support.

Keen Whye has more than 25 years of experience in the finance/investment management industry. He was a pioneer member of the GIC in 1981, involved in studying and adapting various investment styles and models from successful global investment firms for GIC. He was an Investment Manager in the Equities Department until he left the firm in 1986. An experienced entrepreneur, Keen Whye is today the founder and MD of Strategic Alliance Capital, a venture capital and investment management advisory company. Prior to that, he was the founder and MD of Rothschild Ventures Asia, instrumental in launching a US$42 million venture capital fund for investments in South East Asia. Before that, he was Associate Director and Head of Research for Singapore and Malaysia at Kay Hian James Capel. Keen Whye holds a MBA from Harvard University and currently sits on the board of Oniontech, Santak Holdings and Ultro Technologies, all of which are public listed companies in Singapore.

Zee Ming has more than 25 years of experience in the real estate/investment management industry. He was a pioneer member of the GIC when it was incepted in 1981 and was part of the team instrumental in the formulation of the investment philosophy and strategy in the early days of the GIC. Zee Ming has experience in both equities and real estate investments. He was an Investment Manager in the Real Estate Department as well as an Assistant Director in the Equities Department subsequently before leaving GIC in 1987. Zee Ming also has extensive entrepreneurial experience. Today, he is the founder, Chairman and MD of Prosperco International Property Consultants, a real estate services company. Zee Ming was a Colombo Plan scholar and graduated from both Auckland University and the University of London.

Tek Loen has more than 20 years of experience in the finance/investment management industry. She worked with the GIC from 1986 to 1995, accumulating vast experience in the Asian equity markets. She was a Senior Investment Manager in the Equities Department, responsible for managing portfolios in various markets including Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan. She also helped run the GIC office in Tokyo. In addition to her institutional asset management experience, Tek Loen has extensive experience in private wealth management - managing her own family office since she left the GIC. She graduated as the top student in Accountancy from the National University of Singapore in 1980. She also holds a MBA from Stanford University.