Our philosophy, as an Asia-Pacific focused strategic investment company, is focused on creating capital growth for our shareholders as we invest in high-growth, innovative, consumer-related businesses across the region’s rapidly growing economies, in collaboration with talented entrepreneurs and management teams.
We place emphasis on creating capital growth for our shareholders by investing for the long term. Rather than simply pursuing transactions that provide the greatest potential upside, we invest in businesses that we believe have limited downside risk. When we sell an asset, we keep the proceeds in our business before committing them to a new investment. We believe this compounding of capital growth provides the best returns for our shareholders.
Over 40 years of investment history in Asia gives us access to a network of business leaders – entrepreneurs, management teams, bankers, accountants and lawyers – that enables us to generate deal flow. We believe this network is key to helping us achieve increased economic value for our investors.
Our private-equity style of investing enables us to invest and divest at the most opportune times while, at the same time, being mindful of the economic cycles of the different countries in which we invest.
Our shares are listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. This not only gives shareholders immediate liquidity – unlike traditional private equity funds – but also enables them to maintain their investment horizons separately from ours.
Our interests are closely aligned with those of our shareholders. Some members of our investment team have invested their own capital, which cumulatively accounts for more than 10% of Symphony. The team is compensated through a NAV-linked fee, with a floor and a cap. It is incentivised through a stock option plan rather than through the typical method employed by private equity funds of paying carried interest (a fixed percentage of profits).