This edition of Office Hours, a series highlighting the company’s senior leaders, showcases Kenny Lam, CEO of Two Sigma Asia Pacific.
Kenny joined Two Sigma in 2019, having previously served as Group President of Noah Holdings Limited, a wealth and asset manager, and as a senior partner at McKinsey & Company, where he co-led the Asia Financial Institutions Practice. He is also active in the broader community as Chairman of the Executive Board for Asia at the Wharton School, and Co-chairman of The Nature Conservancy’s Asia Leadership Council, among other public leadership roles.
Read on to learn about Kenny’s role at Two Sigma, his perspectives on some of the biggest challenges and opportunities for asset and investment managers in the Asia Pacific region, and what’s been capturing his attention outside of work.
Let’s start with the basics. What led you to your current role, and what are your main responsibilities at Two Sigma?
I had heard a lot about Two Sigma when I was at McKinsey. Through my work with leading financial institutions in the region, I had noticed the emerging theme of technology in financial services—from leveraging technology and data for credit risks to digitalization of client services. When I considered pursuing a new path after spending years across Asia, I had a chance to meet with Two Sigma’s leadership in 2018. We discussed opportunities for Two Sigma to expand in the region and how we could build capabilities to do that.
Today my team and I are responsible for exploring new ways of growing our talent base and increasing our access to data and markets in the region.
Tell us a bit more about Two Sigma’s presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Asia is a strategically important region to Two Sigma. The opportunities here are enormous, considering that the region will be the biggest engine of global GDP growth in the medium to long term. It has some very large capital markets already—Japan, India, mainland China, Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan—which are only expected to accelerate in their development.
Two Sigma has long had a presence in Asia, starting with our office in Hong Kong, which we opened more than a decade ago. Today, we also have offices in Tokyo and Shanghai. We believe to be successful in the region you must have an on-the-ground presence in individual markets.
Two Sigma is a data science and technology-driven firm, and Asia is rich in its data ecosystems as well as technological talent.
We are committed to innovating and growing our capabilities here. This includes expanding access to the tremendous talent base in Asia, as well as developing and deepening our research capabilities and potential local collaborations.
Two Sigma is a data science and technology-driven firm, and Asia is rich in its data ecosystems as well as technological talent. We are also developing engineering and other teams across our Asian offices that link seamlessly with our global expertise, bringing the best of Two Sigma to Asia. Our teams here provide not only round-the-clock coverage of key engineering functions but can quickly access our global resources to get things done in this region.
As part of your role, you travel throughout the Asia Pacific region and beyond with other senior Two Sigma leaders. What are some of the most interesting takeaways from your recent travels?
In early 2025, I was in Singapore, Hong Kong, and, most recently, in Davos, and we have had many private and public conversations about the latest developments in Asia and the investment management industry, more broadly. The themes we heard are consistent. For me, there are three key takeaways that will have implications for practitioners, such as asset and investment managers:
- An era of rapid change: We are witnessing rapid change, especially in technological advances and a shift toward regionalization. In Asia, the best IP and talent, whose reach would otherwise be global, are increasingly being prioritized for use in home markets. In other words, we are seeing unique data platforms and technological talent emerge in key local markets at a growing rate, and we are keen to explore how best to leverage their strengths and deliver value. In this environment, we believe the best-positioned players will be those who can embrace ambiguity and build nimble, global-local operating models that can evolve as the landscape shifts.
- AI is central: For all practitioners in the region, technology is no longer a core competency for “tech” firms only. It is the core competency for all firms. Of course, using advanced technologies and data science in our investment process has been part of Two Sigma’s DNA since our inception. Our global workforce is comprised of many leading AI engineers and scientists who are pushing boundaries daily. Still, we’re excited to see local innovative companies investing in AI capabilities that could help Two Sigma build on our advantages.
- Cross-disciplinary creativity is key: In an age where access to information and data has become commoditized, investment managers should focus on our ability to weave various disciplines together and find new insights creatively. That’s how we humans can differentiate ourselves as AI becomes ubiquitous. For financial services firms, datasets that seemed irrelevant previously could yield new insights if interpreted through new perspectives and with the help of advanced techniques. In some of the larger markets in Asia, for example, we have discovered new ways of working with unstructured data to find differentiated value. In terms of talent, asset and investment managers must ask: Should we prioritize candidates with deep knowledge in a specific area, or those who can generate creative solutions by drawing upon insights from various fields? As the tech landscape changes, our assessment of talent must constantly evolve alongside it.
What excites you most about 2025 and beyond?
2025 has started with many new shifts that could become foundations for growth. We are seeing significant technological advancements that will have real applications on our day-to-day lives (e.g., AI applications across sectors becoming very prevalent, as are Web3 and blockchain developments in financial services). In Asia, key capital markets such as Japan, mainland China, and Hong Kong are all starting the year with renewed momentum and optimism.
…the priority is now on execution excellence and focus—becoming excellent at a few things we can do very well in Asia.
For many practitioners, including us, the priority is now on execution excellence and focus—becoming excellent at a few things we can do very well in Asia. For Two Sigma Asia Pacific, our priorities are to continue our global-local approach to building distinctive research, execution, and trading excellence, and deepening our access to key markets.
What’s been capturing your interest outside of work lately?
I am an avid tennis player and have become even more so the last three to four years. Recently, I have begun to compete at the club level. It has been a perspective-changing exercise, to say the least.
I have learned as much about the physical game as I have about the mental game. Many newer players may simply focus on their tennis strokes and form. But in competitive play, one’s footwork and mental preparation before each shot are as important, if not more so, than the actual strike of your racquet. These lessons apply very much to what I do on a day-to-day basis; that all winning approaches come not just from the moment of execution but from the strategic foundations that we set for many years beforehand.
I am also quite passionate about youth empowerment, and I work on the non-profit organization Project Melo, which aims to inspire and help youth realize their potential. There is so much we can learn from the new generation, and so much they can offer in terms of leadership on many topics.