Chang will be lead manager on the Baring Asian Debt Fund, subject to regulatory approval, as well as managing all other Asian debt investments across the firm and will start as of today.
The previous head of Asian debt, Thomas Kwan, left Barings in January and in the interim period Thanasis Petronikolos who is head of EM debt at the firm has been running the fund.
Petronikolos will stay on as a back up manager for the fund when Chang takes over.
Prior to this Chang worked at HSBC Global AM from 2007 and was responsible for managing both retail and institutional Asian debt portfolios.
He has over 16 years of fixed income investment experience in Asian markets, including senior fixed income management roles at Mirae Asset Global Investment Management, Hang Seng Investment Management and Invesco Asia.
His direct reports will be Alan Wilde, head of fixed income and currency, and Wilfred Sit, chief investment officer Asia.
Wilde said: "We believe Asian currencies in general should appreciate against developed market currencies and Asian debt will provide superior risk-adjusted returns and diversification benefits. As credit quality continues to improve we believe that Asian debt will increasingly assume the role of US Treasuries in the asset allocation decisions of regional investors.
"Sean’s vast experience of managing Asian debt both in regional and global products will be a great addition to our global team. He has an excellent track record and we look forward to him using his knowledge and skills to support our growth in this area."
