As part of our series of exclusive gatekeeper interviews, FSA speaks with Jeffrey Tam, head fund specialists, Hong Kong, Julius Baer.
Jeffrey is head fund specialists, Hong Kong at Julius Baer. Based in Hong Kong, he is responsible for funds advisory for clients in Asia, covering both traditional and alternative investments.
Prior to joining Julius Baer in 2018, Jeffrey was a funds specialist at Deutsche Bank Wealth Management for three years responsible for traditional and alternative fund offerings with specialisation in hedge funds. He started his career in finance at Citi Private Bank, where he was a portfolio advisor, managing clients’ investment portfolios.
Jeffrey holds a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science from the London School of Economics.
What attracted you to the wealth management industry?
I’ve always had a keen interest in investments and financial markets, so wealth management felt like a natural fit. What I’ve come to appreciate over the years, though, is that the role is about far more than investments alone. At its core, it’s about understanding what truly matters to clients, helping them navigate an increasingly complex world, and supporting them in achieving their long-term objectives. I find that combination of markets, problem-solving, and human relationships incredibly rewarding.
What has been the most meaningful experience in your career so far?
I enjoy the continual learning that comes with the role, such as discovering new investment ideas, understand the rationale behind them, and then see how they unfold in practice. I’ve also been fortunate to work with great colleagues, where some of the best ideas often come from sharing different perspectives. That said, what stands out most are the relationships built over the years. Whether with clients, colleagues, or fund managers, I’ve learned something from each of them. Helping clients work towards their goals and earning their trust over time is, for me, the most meaningful part of what I do.
What lessons have you learned from your work?
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that you don’t have to figure everything out on your own. Earlier in my career, I would spend considerable time trying to solve every problem independently. Over time, I realised that asking the right person the right question often leads to a better solution more efficiently. It reinforced something important: our industry is very much a team sport, and that we all benefit from different perspectives.
What strategies are you recommending to your clients?
Equity returns have started to broaden following an unusually concentrated first half of 2026. Improving earnings breadth supports this trend, strengthening the case for diversification beyond artificial intelligence (AI). Against this backdrop, diversification beyond the first-half winners is a key element of our current recommendation. Financials remain a preferred sector, as banks continue to benefit from resilient credit quality, improving loan growth, and strong capital returns.
Within healthcare, we also favour biotechnology, where improving fundamentals and a pick up in M&A activities have reignited investors’ interest. Overall, we remain constructive on equities into year end, but we expect the next leg of the rally to be driven by a wider mix of sectors and regions.
What types of funds have you onboarded recently?
We recently launched a new in-house managed, short-dated credit strategy designed for strategic cash. Cash serves an important role in portfolios, providing safety, liquidity and optionality. Yet for cash balances without a near-term spending requirement (i.e. strategic cash), these benefits can come at a cost.
Since 2020, persistently elevated inflation has eroded real returns on cash holdings, and the longer excess balances remain idle, the greater the opportunity cost. Therefore, short-dated credit offers a compelling middle ground between cash and the broader fixed income universe. By taking a modest step up the duration curve, investors can access a meaningful yield premium while retaining many of the qualities they value in cash, including quality, liquidity and lower sensitivity to interest-rate movements.
What continues to inspire and motivate you in your career today?
What continues to motivate me is that no two days are ever the same. The investment landscape is constantly evolving, which means there’s always something new happening.
I enjoy working with colleagues to develop ideas and solutions for clients. Most importantly, I find it deeply rewarding to help clients navigate important financial decisions and work towards their long-term goals. The fact that I am still learning something new every day, combined with working alongside talented colleagues and helping clients achieve what matters most to them, is what makes the role so fulfilling.