Santa Monica, CA (October 18, 2011) – Dalton Investments today said that it has named Belita Ong as chief executive officer of the firm. Ms. Ong, who joined Dalton in 2001, becomes the firm’s first full-time CEO. At the same time, Dalton announced the appointment of Michelle Lynd as general counsel and chief compliance officer. With assets under management of approximately $1.3 billion, Dalton is a global investment management firm focused on global equities, Asian equities and distressed investing.
“Our firm has grown to the point in size, diversity and maturity where we need the attention and focus of a full-time CEO who can provide both the day-to-day management and long-term vision necessary to best serve our clients,” said Dalton co-founder Steve Persky. “Belita’s leadership allows Dalton to grow into a unified firm with truly global reach without compromising what distinguishes us – our absolute commitment to strive for best-in-class results.”
The appointment of Ms. Ong and Ms. Lynd are part of a wider campaign by Dalton to deepen its infrastructure as it grows. Dalton recently opened a London office under the direction of Craig Mercer, formerly at Towers Watson, to serve as head of risk management and to complement existing operations in Santa Monica, Tokyo and Shanghai.
“Dalton has a reputation as a somewhat contrarian firm with some of the sharpest and most unconventional minds in the industry,” said Ms. Ong. “That’s allowed us to thrive in even the most challenging market conditions. Our goal is to protect Dalton’s unique culture – which is essential to investment performance – while meeting the organizational and operational needs of our clients.”
Prior to her appointment as CEO, Ms. Ong served as a member of Dalton’s management committee and as the managing director responsible for business development and client service. Earlier in her career, Ms. Ong was a portfolio manager for the government of Singapore and for Steinhardt Partners, and a managing director at Bankers Trust.
Ms. Lynd has extensive legal and compliance experience in the hedge fund and asset management industries. Prior to joining Dalton Investments, Ms. Lynd served as senior vice president for Nuveen Investments and previously was a managing director for Farallon Capital Management. Ms. Lynd began her career with Davis Polk & Wardwell.
About Dalton
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Dalton Investments manages about $1.3 billion in assets for a select group of sophisticated clients that includes pension funds, financial institutions, foundations and family offices. Visit www.daltoninvestments.com for more information.