Some successful executives choose to grow with just one company, but Mitraporn Krairiksh preferred negotiating many corners to obtain the asset-management experience she wanted before settling down with a company she has admired for a long time.

In her opinion, a well-rounded fund manager needs to have passed through a variety of positions.

"One of my main tasks is to shop around for good products [debt tools]. My approach might have been different had I not worked before as a dealer," she said.

Mitraporn is a fund manager in the fixed-income department of TMB Asset Management (TMBAM).

Before achieving her preferred position, she worked with several international companies.

"I've been in this business for over a decade and I have admired TMBAM for quite a long time. But back then I thought that working with foreign companies would help sharpen my skills, and it did," Mitraporn said.

The MBA graduate from a US university began her climb in the funding industry in 1993 when she was an intern with the International Labour Organisa-tion's social security department in Geneva, Switzerland.

She then joined Phatra Thanakit and later Merrill Lynch Phatra Securities in the private fund business.

Then she joined Total Access Communication as a senior manager in its investor relations department, where she learned about debt instruments from the issuer's point of view.

"It's fun to learn how a company issues a debenture," Mitraporn said. "Nevertheless, I wasn't comfortable in an investor relations job."

Sticking with the fixed-income business but changing from the selling to the buying side, Mitraporn joined Aberdeen Asset Management.

"The performance of each fixed-income fund may not show an outstanding difference, as their movement is not as volatile as equities," she said. "However, fixed-income fund managers are judged by the products they buy and manage."

She worked only two years with the London-based Aberdeen, which has assets of Bt12 billion under management. Her performance attracted ING Funds (Thailand), and she moved there before finally joining TMBAM.

"By the time I learnt all I wanted from foreign companies, an opportunity to work with TMBAM came up and I didn't see any reason to turn it down," Mitraporn said.

Although debt instruments may sound complicated to ordinary people, Mitraporn is enjoying shopping for good products to serve her company's goals.

Having a low-key personality, Mitraporn fits in well at TMBAM. The company's passive management style has succeeded in every type of mutual fund. Its equity funds are among the best performers in the market and its fixed-income funds are not only doing well, but there's also not a blemish on the products they buy.

"It's our policy not to invest in any bills of exchange. We invest only in products that are almost risk-free. It's a very conservative style of management, but it's truly a safety net for our investors," she said.

Mitraporn said her company had a committee to balance the plans of fund managers.

"Sometimes fund managers can be biased towards certain products, and the committee can help balance their ideas and find the best solutions," she said.

While her working life may be bound up with discipline and rules, Mitraporn is flexible when it comes to her personal life.

"In my working life, I've given it a go for every chance that has come my way. I've achieved a lot of things through hard work. However, work has never been a problem, because when there's a chance to rest, I take it," Mitraporn said.

Piyarat Setthasiriphaiboon

The Nation