Our Board
The directors are responsible for managing the business affairs of the company in accordance with the articles and the investment policy and have overall responsibility for the company’s activities including its investment activities and reviewing the performance of the company’s portfolio.
All of the directors are non-executive and are considered to be independent of the AIFM and Rising Sun. The board consists of:
Rosemary Morgan
Appointed 14 November 2019Non-Executive Director, Chairman of the Board and Management Engagement Committee
Rosemary is an independent director and Chairman of JP Morgan India Investment Trust.
Until 2022, she was a Senior Independent non-executive Director of Schroder Asia Pacific Investment Trust, where she was the Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee.
Rosemary studied Japanese at the Australian National University in Canberra before being awarded the Monbusho Scholarship at Kobe University in Japan and then studying for a Master of Arts in Japanese Literature at Harvard University in the United States.
After university, Rosemary worked as a Japanese equity fund manager for 16 years at John Govett before joining the institutional client team at Fidelity International and then moving to the Royal Bank of Scotland as Head of Asia and Emerging Markets (Multi Manager Funds), where she managed long only and alternative funds of funds, specialising in Japan and Emerging Markets.
Chetan Ghosh
Appointed 22 October 2019Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee
Chetan is a member of the OCIO Solutions Team at Schroders.
Before this he was Chief Investment Officer for the Centrica pension scheme and was responsible for providing support to the directors of the investment committee. His role covered investment strategy considerations, asset class and manager research, and liaison with the investment advisers.
In 2022, Chetan and his team joined Schroders to provide a fully tailored OCIO service to the Centrica pension scheme.
Prior to joining Centrica in 2009, Chetan worked in a number roles, ranging from pensions actuary at Towers Perrin to investment consultant at Aon Hewitt and Lane Clark & Peacock. Whilst at financial services firm Alexander Forbes, Chetan developed a fiduciary management offering to improve client governance structures.
Chetan has a first-class degree in Mathematics from Kings College London. He is based in London.
Rachel Hill
Appointed 22 October 2019Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee
Since 2006, Rachel has been a Director of Dragon Capital Markets (Europe) Limited and has been responsible for the European marketing of LSE listed Vietnam Enterprise Investments Ltd and the Vietnam Equity (UCITS) fund. Rachel was also previously on the board of Dalton Asia Fund, which is a long/short Asian Investment fund managed by Dalton Investments, LLC. Rachel has over 30 years of experience in respect of equity sales in Asian markets.
In addition, Rachel also currently serves on the board of DC Developing Market Strategies Ltd, a Dublin regulated UCITS fund investing in Vietnam; Quaero Capital Luxembourg Fund, a Luxembourg regulated UCITS platform with various sub funds investing in equities and bonds; and Talos Capital Luxembourg Funds, a Luxembourg SICAV Fund also managed by Quaero Capital.
Rachel holds a BA (Hons) MA in Natural Science from Trinity Hall, Cambridge University and is also a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment. She is based in Bath, UK.
Ayako Hirota Weissman
Appointed 14 November 2019Non-Executive Director
Aya is a senior portfolio manager and director of Asia Strategy at Horizon Kinetics LLC. With over 30 years of investment experience, Aya was previously a founder and Chief Investment Officer of AS Hirota Capital Management, LLC.
Aya’s prior experience also includes acting as a portfolio manager specializing in Japanese securities for Kingdon Capital Management, LLC, a New York–based hedge fund, two years as a partner and Portfolio Manager of Feirstein Hirota Japan Partners and 12 years at Salomon Smith Barney Asset Management, as a Managing Director and Senior Portfolio manager in the US value equity group, with responsibility for approximately $2 billion in assets. Aya is a member of the U.S.-Japan Council and serves on its investment committee. She also serves on Japan ICU Foundation’s investment committee. Aya is a director of Toshiba Corporation.
Aya received an MBA from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland and a BA in Liberal Arts from International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. Aya is a CFA charterholder.
Alicia Ogawa
Appointed 14 November 2019Non-Executive Director and Senior Independent Director
Alicia is a Director of the Project on Japanese Corporate Governance and Stewardship at the Center on Japanese Economy and Business (CJEB), Columbia Business School, NYC and has over 20 years of experience in the Asian financial markets. She also serves on the board of The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, Misaki Capital (from December 2019) and is on the investment committee of the Association of Asian Studies. She also is a member of the Assistant Adjunct Faculty, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs as well as being a consultant for activist funds.
In her role as Director of the Project on Japanese Corporate Governance and Stewardship, has been a featured speaker on Japanese financial markets issues for public and private sector conferences such as Goldman Sachs, SIFMA, Council of Institutional Investors, Japan Securities Dealers Association, CSIS, Peterson Institute, and Japan Society.
Prior to 2006, Alicia was a Managing Director and the Director of Global Research Product, Lehman Brothers, NYC and was tasked with leading the global analysts in development of a globally-themed equity research product focused on specific market sectors.
Alicia holds a M.I.A from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs in East Asian Studies and International Finance. Alicia is based in New York, USA.
Claire Boyle
Appointed 10 October 2023Non-Executive Director
Claire Boyle acted as an independent non-executive director of abrdn Japan Investment Trust plc from 1 February 2019 to 10 October 2023 and served as Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee from October of 2019. She is currently the Chair of Life Science REIT plc, a non-executive director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of Fidelity Special Values plc and a non-executive director of The Monks Investment Trust PLC.
Claire is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, qualifying in 1993 whilst working in litigation support at Coopers & Lybrand. She has over 17 years’ experience working in finance and equity investment management, working on funds over a wide range of sectors for international corporate, Government, State and retail clients, including unit and investment trusts. She started her investment career on the UK research desk at Robert Fleming, was a partner at Oxburgh Partners LLP with responsibility for their European Equity Hedge Fund, and prior to that a European Equity Fund Manager at American Express Asset Management, where her role included both equity investment and business development.
Noel Lamb
Appointed 10 October 2023Non-Executive Director
Noel Lamb served on the board of Atlantis Japan Growth Fund Limited from 1 February 2011 to 10 October 2023 and served as Chairman from 1 May 2014. He graduated from Exeter College, Oxford and is a barrister-at-law. He joined Lazard Brothers & Co Limited in 1987 and from 1992 to 1997 he was the managing director of Lazard Japan Asset Management where he was the Japanese equities fund manager. In 1997, he moved to the Russell Investment Group where he established the investment management capability of the firm in London. In 2002, he was promoted to Chief Investment Officer in North America where he managed assets of US$150 billion until his departure in 2008. In 2020, he was appointed as a director of Guinness Asset Management Funds and in January 2022 as Chairman of Rockwood Strategic plc.