Rothschild ponders growth beyond Southeast Asia

The view from Singapore, regional headquarters for Rothschild Asset Management, is fine. The firm manages S$2.3 billion ($1.28 billion) in the Lion City, with 65% of that sourced locally and nearly 90% sourced from Asia. The majority of its business is from Singaporean and other Asian institutions but its local unit trust business is exploding. Moreover the firm has taken steps to really define itself by selling off its Australian business, which had grown too domestic and too retail, and had become separate in nature from the rest of the family. "We really are an Asian business," says managing director Jill Smith.