The Investment Committee meets once every quarter and is responsible for formulating, implementing and monitoring the investment management policies of the Fund to achieve the objective of the Fund. The Investment Committee also assumes a supervisory and guidance role on the investment decisions made by the Manager
The Investment Committee will ensure that the investment views of the Manager are reasonable and that the strategies proposed are appropriate. Specifically, the Investment Committee will be required to approve the investment strategy covering the following areas:
asset allocation for the Fund
sector allocation for the Fund
portfolio risk guidelines for the Fund
broker/dealer selection
investment criteria
The Key Personnel of the Investment Team
The investment team of the Manager comprises a number of fund managers and investment research analysts who possess the experience and expertise to undertake the investment management of the funds managed. Portfolio meetings are held on a weekly basis, where the investment team will review and assess the portfolio of the Fund
Shariah Adviser of the Funds
BIMB Securities Sdn Bhd
BIMB Securities Sdn Bhd (BIMBSEC) has been appointed as the Shariah Adviser for our HLAM Islamic Funds (the Funds). BIMBSEC will provide Shariah advisory services on the management and operations of the Funds to ensure the operations of the Funds comply with Shariah requirements.
About BIMB Securities Sdn Bhd
BIMBSEC is a stockbroking subsidiary of Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad incorporated on 21 February 1994 and is licensed by the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC). The corporate mission of BIMBSEC is to be an active participant in a modern, innovative and dynamic Islamic capital market in Malaysia, catering for the needs of all investors, Muslims and non-Muslims, looking for Shariah-compliant investment products and services.
Experience in Shariah Advisory Services
BIMBSEC is registered with the SC to act as a Shariah Adviser for Islamic products and services regulated by the SC, which include Islamic collective investment schemes. BIMBSEC is independent from HLAM and does not hold office as a member of the committee undertaking the oversight function of the Funds or any other funds managed and administered by HLAM. As at 30 June 2025, BIMBSEC is a corporate Shariah Adviser to 82 Islamic funds including two (2) Islamic real estate investment trusts.
Roles and Responsibilities of BIMB Securities Sdn Bhd as the Shariah Adviser
- to advise on all Shariah aspects of the Funds and the Funds’ operations and processes such that they are in accordance with Shariah requirements;
- to provide Shariah expertise and guidance in all matters related to the Funds, particularly on the documentation such as the Funds’ deed and prospectus, structure, investments and related operational matters;
- to ensure that the Funds are managed and operated in accordance with Shariah requirements;
- to review the Funds’ compliance reports as provided by HLAM’s compliance officer, and investment transaction reports provided or duly approved by the trustee to ensure that the Funds’ investments are in line with Shariah;
- to prepare a report to be included in the semi-annual and annual reports of the Funds stating the Shariah Adviser’s opinion whether the Funds have been operated and managed in compliance with Shariah, including rulings, principles and concepts endorsed by the Shariah Advisory Council (SAC) of the SC for the financial period concerned;
- to consult the SC where there is ambiguity or uncertainty as to an investment, instrument, system, procedure and/or process;
- to meet HLAM on a quarterly basis (or as and when required by HLAM and/or the Shariah Adviser) for the review of the Funds’ operations and processes; and
- to apply Ijtihad (intellectual reasoning) to ensure all aspects relating to the Funds are in compliance with Shariah, in the absence of any rulings, principles and concepts endorsed by the SAC of the SC.
Profile of Designated Shariah Person
Muhammad Shahier Sa'min (Muhammad Shahier)
Muhammad Shahier joined BIMBSEC as the Head of Shariah in October 2024. He is responsible for all Shariah-related matters at BIMBSEC and serves as the Secretary of the Shariah Advisory Committee and has been appointed as the Designated Shariah Person. He holds a Bachelor of Shariah, majoring in Economics and Islamic Banking from Yarmouk University, Jordan, completed in 2014, and obtained a professional certificate, Associate Qualification in Islamic Finance (AQIF), from the Islamic Banking and Finance Institute Malaysia (IBFIM) in 2019. In addition, he also holds the Certified Shari’a Adviser and Auditor (CSAA) certification awarded by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI).
Prior to this, Muhammad Shahier was the Head of Shariah at Yayasan Pembangunan Ekonomi Islam Malaysia (YAPEIM) from June 2021 to October 2024, where he oversaw Shariah governance and compliance across the YAPEIM group. He also served as the Head of Business Development, Business Advisory at IBFIM from June 2019 to June 2021, providing Shariah advisory services and delivering Shariah training. Before that, he was the Senior Executive/Unit Lead of Shariah Compliance, Risk Management Division at Malaysia Debt Ventures Berhad (MDV) from January 2018 to June 2019, and a Consultant in Shariah Business Advisory at IBFIM from January 2015 to December 2017.
Currently, Muhammad Shahier also actively serves as a facilitator for IBFIM’s professional certification training programs and a speaker for Institut Koperasi Malaysia (IKMa) awareness programs.
For further information on the profile of the Shariah Adviser, please refer to the website https://www.bimbsec.com.my/leadership.
External Fund Manager
Hong Leong Islamic Asset Management Sdn. Bhd. (“HLISAM”)
HLISAM, is the external fund manager for HLAM Islamic Funds. It was incorporated in Malaysia under the Companies Act 1965 on 29 May 1985 under the name of Hong Leong Fund Management Sdn Bhd (“HLFM”) and licensed by the Securities Commission Malaysia (“the SC”) for the regulated activity of conventional fund management. Pursuant to an acquisition exercise within the Hong Leong Group on 28 June 2019, HLISAM became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Manager. In November 2019, HLISAM was issued with an Islamic fund management license by the SC to undertake the regulated activity of Islamic fund management.
As a member of Hong Leong Group, HLISAM has the advantage of leveraging on the Group’s diversified businesses in banking and financial services, manufacturing and distribution, property development and investments, hospitality and leisure, and principal investments with presence in North and Southeast Asia, Western Europe and the UK, North America and Oceania.
Through a disciplined and systematic investment process, HLISAM aims to identify and invest in companies with sustainable competitiveness that seeks to deliver consistent portfolio performance and generate superior value for the investors.
Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited [SMDAMHK]
SMDAMHK, which is the external fund manager for Hong Leong Asia Pacific Equity Fund, is a Hong Kong-based wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company, Limited (SMDAM), with assets under management of approximately USD157 billion as of 31 March 2019. It is owned by major financial institutions of the Sumitomo and Mitsui groups and Daiwa Securities in Japan. SMDAMHK has an experienced investment team which consists of personnel located in Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong to cover Asia Pacific regions. In fulfilling its responsibility, SMDAMHK undertakes among others, the implementation of appropriate investment process and strategies to achieve the Fund’s objective as well as providing sales, marketing and customer experience support to HLAM.