The 20 Rising Stars of Mutual Funds 2008 - (Page 22) 17. MONEM SALAM According to Salam, he chose the profession because investing is important in people’s lives. “In 10 years, I see myself as a portfolio manager and ideally running an investment firm in this same area,” he said. “Meanwhile, I see the industry at a point where the companies themselves are more socially responsible, allowing them to attract socially responsible investors.” Salam said Saturna is the company he most admires and that Kaiser is his best boss. “They really are very conscious of what’s right for the client,” he said, citing as an example the firm’s practice of reducing fees, even if costs are increasing. Salam is chairman of Peaceful Communications, a non-profit organization currently working on a documentary about Muslims in America, and has spoken at and chaired several Islamic finance and investment conferences worldwide. 18. 17. MONEM SALAM Director of Islamic Investing and Deputy Portfolio Manager Saturna Capital, Bellingham, Wash. Age: 35 Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.A. in Economics and Government); University of Texas at Dallas (M.B.A.) Mentors: Nicholas Kaiser, Portfolio Manager, Saturna Capital; Dr. Yaqub Mirza, Chief Executive Officer, Sterling Management Salam was chief investment officer for 22 MUTUAL FUND RISING STARS ITG & Associates from 1998 until 1999 and a registered representative with Morgan Stanley before joining Saturna Capital in June 2003. At Saturna, his biggest challenge has been getting across the message about Islamic investing. “The challenge that we overcame was specific to the funds we manage,” he said, noting that the Amana Growth and Income funds employ a socially responsible investing strategy and give Muslims an idea of how to save according to their beliefs. In meeting the challenge, Salam and other representatives from Saturna visited 400 Islamic centers in the U.S. to educate them as to what Islamic investing really means and why it is important. As a result of those visits, the fund that Salam oversees has grown from $34 million to $1 billion in assets and the number of shareholders has grown from about 9,000 to more than 50,000. CHARLES STEWART TODD Vice President, Financial Reporting JPMorgan, Boston Age: 36 Education: University of New Hampshire (B.S. in Business Administration) Mentor: Frank Seyboth, Tax Director, The Baupost Group Todd, who joined JPMorgan in 2000 as an assistant v.p. for financial reporting, leads a team of 35 financial reporting officers, managing client relationships across more than 300 funds. Prior to JPMorgan, he was a senior fund administrator and later manager of fund administration at State Street from May 1998 to June 2000. From 1996 to 1998, he was a fund accountant and investment administrator at Forum Financial Group. JANUARY 2008
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