Kenanga Investors Group Achieves Record Nine Wins at Asia Asset Management’s 2025 Best of the Best Awards

Kuala Lumpur, 21 April 2025 – Kenanga Investors Group (“Kenanga Investors”) has solidified its standing as a top asset management firm by securing nine prestigious awards at Asia Asset Management’s 2025 Best of the Best Awards (“the Awards”). The firm was recognised with the following accolades: Best Impact Investing Manager in ASEAN, Malaysia Best Impact Investing Manager, Malaysia Best Retail Asset Management Company, Malaysia Best Equity Manager, Malaysia Best Alternatives Manager, Malaysia Best ESG Engagement Initiative and Malaysia Fund Launch of the Year.

In addition to the above, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Datuk Wira Ismitz Matthew De Alwis was awarded Malaysia CEO of the Year, marking this the sixth year that he has received this prestigious award. Simultaneously, Chief Investment Officer, Lee Sook Yee received her eighth Malaysia CIO of the Year title.

“We are proud to be recognised again at the Awards,” said Datuk Wira De Alwis. “The Malaysia Best Retail Asset Management Company title reflects our commitment to delivering value through long-term growth opportunities and our ability to manage higher-return asset classes effectively with appropriate portfolio diversification methods. Our strong collaborations with global investment experts have further enhanced our ability to offer innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients. We are also proud that our commitment to impact investing both within Malaysia and the ASEAN region has been acknowledged, underscoring the strength of our policies, product offerings, and investment framework in driving meaningful change. Driven by this, we will continue engaging with stakeholders and investee companies to raise awareness and fostering in-depth, two-way conversations focusing on enhancing existing practices and developing structured strategies”. 

Despite a robust domestic growth outlook, the market remains vulnerable to external challenges, including looming tariffs and trade restrictions. Lee Sook Yee, Chief Investment Officer states that the firm will remain focused on stock picking in 2025 to combat this. “As bottom-up stock pickers, our investment philosophy hinges on fundamental research and a relative value approach, which we believe can consistently generate superior, risk-adjusted returns. We believe that focusing on high-quality stocks through rigorous analysis will lead to outperformance over a 3-5-year investment cycle. Our approach often involves a deep dive into industry dynamics, company business models, and key drivers of return on equity. By consistently applying this philosophy, we aim to be able to identify trends early on such as construction, property, new energy, utilities and healthcare”, she said. 

In 2024, Kenanga Investors reached several key milestones that demonstrated its growing presence within the impact investing universe; Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd, a member of KIG, launched Eq8 FTSE Malaysia Enhanced Dividend Waqf ETF, the world’s first Waqf-featured exchange-traded fund, merging financial returns with Islamic philanthropy to promote sustainable growth.

Through its partnership with AN LIVING, the firm introduced Kenanga AN LIVING Silver Impact Scheme (“KALSIS”), a reverse annuity scheme designed to help seniors unlock wealth from their homes, providing financial security, particularly for those facing critical health conditions. Additionally, it expanded its Shariah-compliant investment offerings with the Kenanga Alternative Series: Islamic Global Responsible Strategies Fund, leveraging big data and AI-driven analytics to optimise portfolio diversification while maintaining ethical investment principles.

The Malaysia Best Impact Investing Manager award recognises a firm’s success in deploying impact investing strategies in either public or private markets to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact alongside sustainable financial returns. 

The Best Impact Investing Manager in ASEAN recognises a firm’s efforts in making a difference in deploying its impact investing strategy in either public or private markets, the research and investment process, and assets under management. 

The Malaysia Best Equity Manager award is in recognition of the success of the fund house’s equity products within Malaysia’s domestic market given the challenging trading conditions and its abilities in capturing potential growth opportunities. 

The Malaysia CEO of the Year award is in recognition of the CEO’s overall achievements, performance of funds, increase of assets under management and their demonstration of leadership in the market.

The Malaysia CIO of the Year award is based on the CIO’s achievements at the country level and the strategies employed to capture growth whilst navigating risks.

The Malaysia Best House for Alternatives award recognises the firm’s achievements in growing the alternatives market, its performance record, and its growth in client base.

The Malaysia Best ESG Engagement Initiative award recognises a firm’s leadership in driving effective ESG engagement activities, enhancing corporate governance, and demonstrating positive market impact through its stewardship practices.

The Malaysia Fund Launch of the Year award celebrates the most successful new fund launch in Malaysia.

The Malaysia Best Retail Asset Management Company award celebrates the top-performing retail asset management firm in Malaysia.

Asia Asset Management is the world’s longest-running publication focused on Asia’s institutional asset management and pension fund industry. Its Best of The Best Awards recognises the finest performers in Asia from financial services companies and institutional investors to service providers whose influence and excellence expands beyond borders.

For more information about Kenanga Investors, please visit www.kenangainvestors.com.my.

To download the pdf, click here.