Wanted: Scots to invest in Shanghai and Mumbai

Scotland may be many miles from India and Shanghai, but there's plenty of demand in the country for people to manage investments in emerging markets - and (we're told) not enough of them to go around.

Edinburgh-based Ronnie Petrie, head of emerging markets at Standard Life Investments, tells us: "It's difficult to hire such individuals - the market is hot."

The problem, according to Petrie, is that emerging markets managers need intimate knowledge of one of the large emerging markets, where the information flow is often poor. They also need proven investment capability.

When this combination of attributes isn't home-grown in the local market, companies are proving more than willing to look outside: "In my experience there seems to be a growing pool of young Eastern Europeans who are mobile and well-educated," reflects Petrie.

Kim Catechis, head of emerging markets at Scottish Widows Partnership, looked to London to fill two positions in his team. "They've joined a blend of Scots talent and talent from outside Scotland," he tells us.

One recruiter, based in London who hires fund managers for the Scottish market, says Edinburgh's traditional international strengths are set to strengthen demand for emerging markets managers in future.

"More so than the rest of the UK , Edinburgh's chief investment officers and pension fund officers are increasingly looking to allocate more capital markets such as India and China."