{
  "id": 20050013,
  "title": "From tour guide to HSBC strategy chief: How a Dutch student found his future in Asia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/from-tour-guide-to-hsbc-strategy-chief-how-a-dutch-student-found-his",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-11-14T21:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times Business",
    "slug": "straits-times-business",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/business/invest/from-tour-guide-to-hsbc-strategy-chief-how-a-dutch-student-found-his-future-in-asia"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the early 1990s, Herald Van der Linde pursued his educational and travel aspirations in the Netherlands by seeking employment. He worked as a tour guide in China and Indonesia, experiencing numerous challenges, such as losing US$100 in Shenzhen and a plane's emergency landing near Guilin. Van der Linde's journey in Asia profoundly impacted his perspective, leading him to declare his intention to reside and work in the region. After obtaining his master's degree in economics, he moved to Indonesia and began his career as a financial analyst. Today, at the age of 56, Van der Linde is the head of Asia equity strategy at HSBC, based in Hong Kong. He also shares his passion for the region through his books, including biographies of Jakarta and Srivijaya, Indonesia’s first maritime empire. Van der Linde attributes his fascination with Southeast Asia to his immersion in its languages, cultures, and history. He believes in investing in global equities through low-cost exchange-traded funds (ETFs), emphasizing their cost-effectiveness in building diversified portfolios. He has learned the value of long-term investment through various market downturns, including the 2008 financial crisis and declines in 2020 and 2023. Despite initial setbacks, Van der Linde advocates for investing consistently and staying invested in order to benefit from compounding returns.",
  "summary": "He wanted to broaden his horizons and travel.",
  "key_points": [
    "Herald Van der Linde worked as a tour guide in China and Indonesia.",
    "He pursued master's degree in economics and moved to Indonesia.",
    "Now head of Asia equity strategy at HSBC, he advocates long-term investing."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}