Halbis, the active management specialist of UK-based banking group HSBC, has appointed Shameema Yousuf as a fund manager on the Halbis Commodities Alpha fund. Ms Yousuf will work alongside lead manager Per Tingberg in managing the discretionary futures fund, launched in September 2006, Halbis said in a statement. Although commodity markets have already boomed for several years, banks, hedge funds and traditional long-only investment firms continue to expand operations connected to this asset class. Ms Yousuf has more than 10 years of commodities experience, most recently working as a self-employed consultant. Ms Yousuf started her career in Rand Merchant Bank in South Africa as an investment portfolio analyst with subsequent roles in commodity trading, analysis and marketing at Amiga International, Ronly Holdings, Mako Financial Markets and Fuerst Lawson. Halbis Commodities Alpha, which currently has $55 million assets under management, is a long/short fundamentally-driven commodities hedge fund that invests across all commodity sectors using futures.