The Strategy and Transactions Associate will be part of a small team which supports JM, our listed holding company, in effectively managing the current portfolio of businesses and informing active evolution of this portfolio.

The team is composed of strategy and transactions professionals who support senior principals on capital allocation strategy, portfolio management, transactions and other topics. The associate will contribute to the team’s work in the following areas:

• Capital allocation strategy: Assess investments consistently against a JM capital allocation framework to evolve the portfolio over the long-term
• Portfolio management: Provide active support to inform our shareholder representatives who sit on Group company boards
• Transactions: Support analysis on and execution of Group-level transactions across existing and new sectors, anchored on JM portfolio strategy objectives
• Special projects: Drive analysis and insights for other Group initiatives
• Other briefings etc. for senior principals

In supporting the team on this work, the associate will receive significant coaching from colleagues with experience developing high performers within the investment holding company context and across corporate finance and strategy skillsets.

The associate will also have regular exposure to the Group Chief Investment Officer, to whom the team reports. This position also offers exposure to other JM senior management and, as relevant, our Group businesses and networks of business partners, investors and other stakeholders. The associate will have the opportunity to create significant impact on our portfolio and the Group’s future direction.

Individuals with outstanding performance in the role will enter the Group strategic talents pool and be considered for development opportunities at JM and potentially portfolio companies. Future career paths for this role could include more senior roles within the Strategy and Transactions team as well as finance, corporate development or general manager positions in a Group business.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

The associate can expect to support the team and own detailed outputs to drive the following:

• Capital allocation strategy: Support colleagues in synthesizing information from JM portfolio companies and external market sources to develop and articulate a coherent Group-level portfolio view with implications to the Board, holding company senior management and other stakeholders;
• Portfolio management: Support colleagues covering Group businesses for our Board representatives, analysing company performance, market conditions and trends, competitive positioning and other factors to evaluate opportunities, challenges and risks to the businesses;
• Transactions: Support colleagues leading execution potential investments / divestments across the deal lifecycle, including opportunity research, due diligence, execution and post-deal management
• Develop a Jardine Matheson Group-level view and display measured judgement and discretion on various special projects topics
• Establish trusted relationships with team colleagues and, in due course where relevant, our Board representatives, senior Jardine Matheson leaders and other key stakeholders based on informed perspectives on relevant strategic issues
• Inform the dialogue, encourage debate on priority topics, facilitate communication and idea exchanges between Jardine Matheson and its operating businesses

Job Requirements

Business acumen

• Excellent academic record from leading institution(s) with 2-5 years of post-qualification experience
• Top performer from among the following categories, preferably with exposure to sectors of relevance to the existing Jardines portfolio:
  • 'Bulge bracket’ M&A / sector coverage investment banker
  • Management consultant from a top-tier firm, with significant exposure to financial modeling through projects serving private equity / principal investors etc.
  • Former investment banker or management consultant in corporate strategy, corporate development, innovation or general management role at a leading MNC
  • Buy-side public equity research professional with a long-term coverage focus
  • Transaction advisory services professional from ‘Big 4’ focusing on M&A and valuation advisory
• Distinctive ability to synthesize commercial fundamentals and company specifics to develop an informed long-term investor view
• Cross-cultural awareness having lived and worked in Asia

Strategy and investments

• Conceptual thinker and intellectually flexible
• Strong financial modeling and other corporate finance technical skill
• Ability to navigate and diagnose complex issues, work through ambiguities and develop compelling business cases and holistic recommendations
• Commercial judgement; calculated risk taker

Project management

• Experience in supporting and ideally leading workstreams within project management from conception to tangible outputs, designing workplans, articulating key issues to resolve, the analyses needed and executing the work

Influence and communications

• Relationship building, collaboration and personal influencing skills; high self-awareness
• Ability to navigate complex organisations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; and other Asian languages is a strong plus (preference for Bahasa, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Cantonese).