Management Team

Mark W.Headley

Executive Chairman

Mark W. Headley rejoined Matthews as Executive Chairman in April 2025. He first joined Matthews in April 1995 as Managing Director and senior analyst on the investment team. In 1999, Mark became President of Matthews and between 2002 and 2009, held both CEO and Co-CEO roles and between 2007 and 2009, he was also CIO. Throughout his time at the firm, Mark was a Portfolio Manager, which included the Matthews Pacific Tiger Fund, Matthews Korea Fund, Matthews China Fund, Matthews Japan Fund and the Matthews Asia Innovators Fund. Prior to joining Matthews, Mark held several key positions from 1989-1992  including with Newport Pacific Management and Newport Distributors, Inc. where he was an original member of the team that launched the first SEC-registered open-end Asia (ex-Japan) fund, the Newport Tiger Fund. Mark has appeared frequently in broadcast media, been widely quoted in major financial publications and participated in panel discussions at conferences of major financial institutions.  He holds a B.A. in Economics and Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Sean Taylor

Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager

Sean Taylor is Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager at Matthews. As Chief Investment Officer, Sean oversees the firm’s investment process and investment professionals and sets the research agenda for the investment team. Prior to joining the firm in October 2023, he was Chief Investment Officer APAC, Global Head of Emerging Markets Equity at DWS Group based in Hong Kong since he joined the company in 2013. From 2004 to 2011, he was an Investment Director at GAM, based in London and Dubai. From 1997 to 2004, he was at Societe Generale as Head of International and Emerging Markets. Sean has 30 years of experience, including more than a decade as CIO. He oversaw a number of emerging markets active strategies, including Latin America, India, China, Brazil, Russia as well as international and global strategies. He received his MBA from Manchester Business School and is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

Sean has been a Portfolio Manager of the Matthews Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Matthews Emerging Markets Equity Active ETF and Matthews Emerging Markets ex China Active ETF since 2023, and of the Matthews Asia Dividend Fund and Matthews Asia Dividend Active ETF since 2025.

Theresa Noriega-Lum

Chief Financial Officer

Theresa Noriega-Lum is Chief Financial Officer at Matthews Asia. Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Theresa was Head of Business Initiatives at BlackRock where she led business management and implementation of business initiatives for its ETF and Index investments division. She also served as Director of Financial Planning and Analysis for Global iShares at Blackrock where she was responsible for managing the financial planning and analysis function. From 1990 to 2004, Theresa held several senior finance and business operations roles including at Charles Schwab as VP of Schwab Corporate Services Finance and Franklin Templeton as Manager of Investment Operations. Earlier in her career, Theresa worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. Theresa is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

Deepa Damre Smith

General Counsel

Deepa Damre Smith is General Counsel at Matthews Asia. Prior to joining the firm in 2022, she served as the Head of the U.S. ETF Legal Team at BlackRock and has over 17 years of regulatory experience in asset management. During her tenure at BlackRock, she was primarily responsible for supporting all legal and regulatory matters for BlackRock’s U.S. ETF business, including the iShares index complex and other BlackRock active ETFs covering a variety of asset classes and investment strategies.  She was responsible for leading legal support for the iShares business during periods of significant growth and expansion in the U.S. and globally, and has diverse and deep experience across product development, operations, distribution, governance, capital markets, index/data matters as well as advising on complex regulatory, commercial and other strategic initiatives involving registered funds and ETFs. Deepa began her career as an Associate in the Corporate & Securities Group at Pillsbury Winthorp Shaw Pittman, representing private and public companies on corporate, securities, mergers and acquisition matters. She received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.

David J.Kast

Global Head of Risk and Compliance

David Kast is Global Head of Risk and Compliance at Matthews Asia and is responsible for the firm’s operational risk management and regulatory compliance activities. David also serves as head of the firm’s Enterprise Risk and Compliance Committee. Prior to joining Matthews Asia in 2017, David spent nearly 20 years with Goldman Sachs Asset Management in a variety of compliance roles overseeing Asia, the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Africa. David was most recently a Managing Director of Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s U.S. Compliance team in charge of several U.S. offices. Previously, David worked at the Prudential Insurance Company of America as a Compliance Officer for Prudential Capital Group. He received a B.A. in International Relations from St. Joseph's University.

Mark Lidstone

Global Head of Marketing

Mark Lidstone is Global Head of Marketing at Matthews Asia, responsible for the firm’s global marketing activities and brand building efforts. Prior to joining the firm in 2012, he worked at Aberdeen Asset Management in Toronto where he served as Head of Marketing for the firm’s Canadian operations. Prior to this, Mark headed Aberdeen’s marketing efforts out of Hong Kong in support of sales objectives across the institutional, retail and private bank distribution channels. He also spent over seven years at Credit Suisse Asset Management and held a variety of marketing and communications roles, leading teams out of both London and Hong Kong. Mark earned an MBA from Warwick Business School in the U.K and received a B.Sc. in Biology with Business Studies from the University of London.

John P.McGowan

Global Head of Investment Operations and Fund Administration

John McGowan is Global Head of Investment Operations and Fund Administration at Matthews. Prior to joining the firm in 2004, John served as Chief Operating Officer at Forward Funds and ReFlow LLC, a mutual fund liquidity solution provider. Previously, he was a Director of Client Services at PFPC Global Fund Services. John has more than 30 years of financial services experience including positions at M&T Bank, First Pacific Advisors Inc. and Boston Financial Data Services, Inc. He served as a member of the Board of Governors and served as Executive Committee Chairman of the Investment Management Education Alliance. John received a B.A. in Marketing from Clarkson University.

Neil Steedman

Global Head of Distribution and Strategy

Neil Steedman is Global Head of Distribution and Strategy at Matthews Asia. Based in London, he is responsible for leading the firm's global distribution and client services efforts. Neil has extensive experience working with institutional and wholesale investors, including local authorities, discretionary wealth managers, family offices, private banks and global financial institutions, as well as leading platforms. Prior to joining Matthews Asia in 2014, he was with Aberdeen Asset Management for 10 years, most recently as Head of U.K. Discretionary Sales. Neil earned a BSc in Pharmacology from the University of Aberdeen.