Investment professionals in a Singapore family office: the local-hire question

Which daily duties fall to an investment professional in a family office?

An investment professional runs the portfolio side of the office. The person turns the written investment policy into positions, selects and monitors external managers, reads the reports of banks and prepares the reviews that the family council discusses. Clear ownership of these tasks keeps the investment work visible to the head of office.

The role also protects the family from drift. A person who knows the policy line by line notices when a position grows beyond its limit, when currency exposure shifts or when a manager departs from the mandate. That daily attention is the value you hire for.

Why does the local-hire question matter for a family office?

Singapore holds the banks, managers and advisers that an office meets every week. A local hire already lives in that network, answers calls in the same time zone and can attend meetings in person. A hire from abroad brings other networks and needs time to build these ones. Time zone and presence count most when markets move fast and the family wants a view the same day.

The question also shapes culture. An investment professional who sits in Singapore is close to the head of the office and to the family members who live in the city. Distance can work with a clear reporting rhythm, but proximity gives the office a shared daily conversation.

How does the MAS exemption treat investment professionals?

The MAS exemption lists investment professionals among the key employees, with executive directors, the chief executive officer and the chief financial officer (MAS FAQ, 2026). Key employees may own a non-controlling stake of up to 10% of the office. A family that hires several key employees adds their holdings together when it checks the limit.

Assets that originate from key employees stay at or below 10% of the total assets under management. If the investment professional invests alongside the family, the office tracks that share. Put the rule in the contract of the person, and check it at each annual return.

How can a family office weigh a local against a foreign candidate?

Use 4 questions: network, start date, cost and continuity. A local candidate usually brings an existing network and can start soon after the notice period. A foreign candidate may bring skills that the local market offers less often, and needs a work pass and a relocation plan. Write the answers in a table, so the family reads them side by side.

Score each question from 1 to 5 for each candidate, and write one sentence on the reason. The totals do not settle the choice by themselves, and they order the discussion. A candidate who scores low on cost and high on skills creates a trade-off that the family can name and accept.

How does the work pass route shape a family office investment hire?

A foreign investment professional needs a work pass, and the Employment Pass has its own guide in this series. MOM states that employers advertise on MyCareersFuture and consider all candidates fairly before they apply (MOM, 2026). A local search therefore comes first in the calendar, even for a hire you expect to be foreign. This order also keeps the file complete if the local search finds the right person.

The COMPASS framework requires 40 points to pass, and the salary floor depends on age. For an investment role, the employer builds the compensation, the search file and the scoring sheet together. Run 3 steps in order: advertise, shortlist and score, then decide on the offer.

How should a family office set the mandate of an investment professional?

Write the mandate in 5 lines: the objectives of the family, the limits per asset, the liquidity needs, the reporting calendar and the decisions that need approval from the head of office or the family council. The mandate protects the investment professional as much as the family. Review it when the assets, the family or the markets change in a way the mandate did not foresee.

Link pay to the behaviour you want. Multi-year measures reward patience, and a rule on co-investment keeps the interests aligned with the 10% limit of the MAS exemption. Your lawyer reviews the contract, and the family reviews the mandate each year with the investment policy.

How can a family run the local-hire decision for its investment role?

Follow 4 steps: write the mandate, search locally first, score the candidates on the 4 questions and decide with the family council. Keep the record of each step, so the decision is explainable to the family and to the authorities. A decision with a record also helps the next generation understand why the office chose its team.

EQOS Asia scores a family decision and ranks the options (EQOS Asia private page, 2026). A pre-diagnostic applies that method to your local-hire question, and your lawyer and recruiter handle the contract and the search. The result is a ranked set of options with a date for review.

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About the author

Stéphane Jambu

President, EQOS Forecast Asia

Stéphane Jambu leads EQOS Forecast Asia and works as a consultant in e-commerce, search visibility, and AI. LinkedIn profile