Baring Asset Management, the UK-headquartered international investment management firm, has bulked up its Asian equities business with the appointment of a new head of Hong Kong China equities. 

Starting 12 September, Laura Luo will be responsible for managing the Hong Kong China equities team, while being the lead manager on the Baring Hong Kong China Fund and segregated portfolios. She replaces Agnes Deng, who has left the company, and reports to Wilfred Sit, chief investment officer for Asia. 

Luo has over 17 years' experience researching and investing in Hong Kong China equities and joins from Schroder Investment Management, where she worked for more than 12 years, including as lead manager responsible for some $2 billion in assets under management. In her new role, she is joined by Winston Ke, who reports to her as the lead manager of the Baring China A-share Fund and all China A-share segregated portfolios. Ke is noted for his significant contribution to the establishment of the firm's China A-share product. 

"Our flagship mutual fund in China, the $2.3 billion Baring Hong Kong China fund, was launched in 1982. In 2010, we launched the Baring China A-share Fund, offering investors access to the domestic market through our QFII status and quota... We continue to see opportunities across high-growth markets," noted Marino Valensise, CIO at Barings International.

The appointments build on Baring Asset Management's widening presence in Asia, which covers China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. In July this year, the company bolstered its regional franchise with the creation of a chief financial officer role, to which Eric Lee was named.