Neuberger Berman Group, the New York-headquartered investment management firm, has hired 22 emerging markets debt professionals for its various offices worldwide, 19 of whom came from ING Investment Management.

The new staff of 12 portfolio managers, six credit analysts and four economists and strategists will operate from offices in the US, Europe and Asia.

Prashant Singh joins the firm as lead portfolio manager for the Singapore office, to become in charge of Asia local bond portfolios. Singh left ING's emerging markets debt unit in January, along with department co-heads Rob Drijkoningen and Gorky Urquieta and two other fund managers.

Drijkoningen is now head of the EMD platform in The Hague, while Urquieta now leads the Atlanta division. The other new lead portfolio managers are Bart van der Made for The Hague, hard currency, Raoul Luttik for The Hague, local currency and Jennifer Gorgoll for Atlanta and Nish Popat for The Hague, corporate bonds.

The emerging markets debt total market size is estimated to be $11 trillion, with $3 trillion being investable bonds. Neuberger Berman records some $216 billion in assets under management as of 31 March 2013.