Portfolio Partners has hired a head of business development as chief executive Craig Bingham finds Asian investors receptive to the manager’s new Resources Trust.

Bingham said the appointment of Sylvia Falzon, most recently head of business development, client services and operations for fellow Melbourne house Alpha Investment Management, would free up time for him to pursue his new role as Asia-Pacific CEO for Portfolio Partners’ parent manager, Aviva Investors. Speaking from China last week, Bingham said that Asian retail investors (as well as Middle Eastern banks) were already supporting Portfolio Partners’ Resources Trust, for which funds domiciled in Luxembourg and Australia went live last month. The Resources Trust is run by senior investment manager Ian Lang, with assistance from deputy head of equities Nick Pashias (a metals specialist) and smaller resources specialist Stephen Croft. The Resources Trust is split between ASX-listed oil/energy, metals and small cap/agricultural stocks, with shorting permitted in the former two sectors.