Andy Ho, chief investment officer of Ho Chi Minh City-based investment manager firm VinaCapital, passed away at the age of 52 Thursday morning.

The company made an announcement on his decease without disclosing the cause of death.

Andy was the CEO of VinaCapital Investment Council and the managing director of VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund, which is traded on the London Stock Exchange.

VinaCapital said that it was taking necessary steps to ensure all operations continue as usual.

Brook Colin Taylor, the general director of VinaCapital Fund Management Company, will temporarily manage the VOF fund.

Don Lam, CEO and founding shareholder of VinaCapital, who has been working with Andy since 2007, said that he was "a reliable colleague and partner" who played an extremely significant role in the development of VOF.

"More importantly, he was a close friend of mine. He will be missed. His passing is a tremendous loss to me personally and to the VinaCapital team".

Andy held a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting from the University of Colorado Boulder and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He was a Certified Public Accountant in the U.S. He had held several management positions at Dell Ventures (the investment group of Dell Computer Corp) and professional service company Ernst & Young.

Before joining VinaCapital, he was the Investment Director at Prudential Vietnam, where he managed the capital market investment portfolio and developed banking investment strategies, bringing in quadruple returns in an 18-month period.

Since joining VinaCapital in 2007, Andy had helped grow the net asset value of VOF to surpass the $1 billion mark. He deployed over $1 billion in private equity transactions and leading over $700 million in divestment transactions through strategic sales.

VinaCapital introduced him as "a leading expert in investing in emerging markets, privatization, and private equity transactions in Vietnam." He was also a frequent speaker at events in Vietnam and the region.

In 2020, he wrote and published the book "Crossing The Street: How to make a success of investing in Vietnam," detailing his personal experiences over nearly two decades of investing in the country.

VinaCapital was founded in 2003. Its total asset under management has surged from $9.5 to $4 billion since establishment, making it one of the biggest investment fund managers in Vietnam.

Source: VnExpress