The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc. Notice & Proxy Statement

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No.     )

 

x Filed by the Registrant
¨ Filed by a Party other than the Registrant

Check the appropriate box:

 

¨ Preliminary Proxy Statement
¨ Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
x Definitive Proxy Statement
¨ Definitive Additional Materials
¨ Soliciting Material Pursuant to Rule 14a-11(c) or Rule 14a-12

The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

Payment of Filing Fee (check the appropriate box):

 

x No fee required.
¨ Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.

 

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  (2) Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:                                                                                                    

 

  (3) Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it is determined):                                                                                        

 

  (4) Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:                                                                                                                    

 

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¨ Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

 

¨ Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

 

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THE ASIA TIGERS FUND, INC.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

February 13, 2015

Dear Stockholder:

We are pleased to enclose the notice and proxy statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Meeting”) of The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc. (NYSE: GRR; the “Fund”) to be held on Thursday, March 26, 2015, at the offices of Aberdeen Asset Management Inc., 712 Fifth Avenue, 49th Floor (entrance on 56th Street), New York, New York, at 9:30 a.m., New York time.

At the Meeting, you will be asked to vote on the election of two Directors.

After careful consideration, the Board of Directors of the Fund, including all of the Independent Directors, recommends that you vote “FOR” the election of each of the nominees.

Whether or not you intend to attend the Meeting, you may vote by proxy by signing and returning your proxy card in the enclosed postage-paid envelope or by following the instructions on your proxy card to vote by telephone or over the Internet. Please familiarize yourself with the proposal and vote immediately, even if you plan to attend the Meeting.

If your completed proxy card is not received, you may be contacted by representatives of the Fund or by the Fund’s proxy solicitor, Georgeson Inc. (“Georgeson”). Georgeson has been engaged to assist the Fund in soliciting proxies. Representatives of Georgeson will remind you to vote your shares. You may also call the number provided on your proxy card for additional information.

As always, we thank you for your confidence and support.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Alan Goodson

President


LOGO

THE ASIA TIGERS FUND, INC.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To be held on March 26, 2015

February 13, 2015

To the Stockholders:

An Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Meeting”) of The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”) will be held on Thursday, March 26, 2015, at the offices of Aberdeen Asset Management Inc., 712 Fifth Avenue, 49th Floor (entrance on 56th Street), New York, New York at 9:30 a.m., New York time, for the purpose of considering and voting upon proposals to:

 

  1. Elect two Class II Directors to the Board of Directors.

 

  2. Transact such other business as may be properly presented at the Meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof.

The close of business on February 6, 2015, has been fixed as the record date for the determination of Stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof. The enclosed proxy is being solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Fund.

By order of the Board of Directors,

 

LOGO

Megan Kennedy

Secretary

 

 

TO AVOID THE UNNECESSARY EXPENSE OF FURTHER SOLICITATION, WE URGE YOU to indicate voting instructions on the enclosed proxy card, date and sign it and return it promptly in the envelope provided, or to vote promptly by telephone or over the Internet according to the instructions on the enclosed proxy card, no matter how large or small your holdings may be.


INSTRUCTIONS FOR SIGNING PROXY CARDS

The following general rules for signing proxy cards may be of assistance to you and may avoid the time and expense to the Fund involved in validating your vote if you fail to sign your proxy card properly.

 

1. Individual Accounts. Sign your name exactly as it appears in the registration on the proxy card.

 

2. Joint Accounts. Either party may sign, but the name of the party signing should conform exactly to a name shown in the registration.

 

3. Other Accounts. The capacity of the individual signing the proxy card should be indicated unless it is reflected in the form of registration. For example:

REGISTRATION

 

Corporate Accounts

   Valid Signature

ABC Corp.

   ABC Corp. (by John Doe, Treasurer)

ABC Corp.

   John Doe, Treasurer

ABC Corp. c/o John Doe, Treasurer

   John Doe

ABC Corp. Profit Sharing Plan

   John Doe, Trustee

Trust Accounts

  

ABC Trust

   Jane B. Doe, Trustee

Jane B. Doe, Trustee u/t/d 12/28/78

   Jane B. Doe

Custodial or Estate Accounts

  

John B. Smith, Cust. f/b/o John B. Smith, Jr. UGMA

   John B. Smith

John B. Smith

   John B. Smith, Jr., Executor


The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

 

 

PROXY STATEMENT

 

This proxy statement is furnished in connection with a solicitation by the Board of Directors of The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”) of proxies to be used at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Fund to be held at the offices of Aberdeen Asset Management Inc, 712 Fifth Avenue, on the 49th Floor (entrance on 56th Street), New York, New York, on Thursday, March 26, 2015, at 9:30 a.m., New York time, and at any adjournments or postponements thereof (the “Meeting”), for the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

This proxy statement and the accompanying form of proxy are first being mailed to Stockholders on or about February 13, 2015.

At the Meeting, Stockholders will vote on a proposal to elect two Class II Directors to the Board of Directors.

This Proxy Statement sets forth concisely the information Stockholders of the Fund should know before voting on the proposal. Please read it carefully and retain it for future reference. The Fund’s Annual Report, containing financial statements for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014, as filed on Form N-CSR, is available free of charge by contacting Aberdeen Asset Management Inc., 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103, by calling 1-866-839-5205 toll-free or on the Internet at www.aberdeengrr.com. Information about the Fund is included in this proxy statement. Reports and other information filed by the Fund can be inspected in person at the Public Reference Room maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) at the address below, and copies of such materials can be obtained from the Public Reference Branch at the address below. In addition, shares of common stock of the Fund are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the ticker symbol “GRR.” Reports and other information concerning the Fund can be inspected by contacting the NYSE at New York Stock Exchange, Inc., 11 Wall Street, New York, New York 10005. The Fund is subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and in accordance therewith, file reports and other information, including proxy materials and charter documents, with the SEC.

You also may view or obtain these documents from the SEC:

 

In Person:

  At the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549

By Phone:

  1-800-SEC-0330

By Mail:

 

Public Reference Branch

Office of Consumer Affairs and Information Services

Securities and Exchange Commission

100 F Street, N.E.

Washington, D.C. 20549

(duplicating fee required)

By Email:

 

publicinfo@sec.gov

(duplicating fee required)

By Internet:

  www.sec.gov


Stockholders who execute proxies retain the right to revoke them in person at the Meeting, by written notice received by the Secretary of the Fund at any time before they are voted or by delivering a duly executed proxy bearing a later date. Proxies that are not revoked will be voted in accordance with the specifications thereon and, unless specified to the contrary, will be voted FOR each of the nominees for Director.

The close of business on February 6, 2015, has been fixed as the record date for the determination of Stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof. Each Stockholder is entitled to one vote for each full share and an appropriate fraction of a vote for each fractional share held.

On the record date, there were 3,530,034 shares of the Fund’s common stock outstanding.

In the event that a quorum is not present at the Meeting, the Chairman of the Meeting, without notice other than by announcement at the Meeting, may adjourn the Meeting to a date not more than 120 days after the original record date to permit further solicitation of proxies or until a quorum shall attend. Under the By-Laws of the Fund, a quorum is constituted by the presence in person or by proxy of the holders of record of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Fund entitled to vote at the Meeting.

Votes cast by proxy or in person at the Meeting will be tabulated by the inspector of election appointed for the Meeting. The inspector of election will determine whether or not a quorum is present at the Meeting. The inspector of election will treat abstentions and “broker non-votes” (i.e., shares held by brokers or nominees, typically in “street name,” as to which proxies have been returned but (i) instructions have not been received from the beneficial owners or persons entitled to vote and (ii) the broker or nominee does not have discretionary voting power on a particular matter) as present for purposes of determining a quorum.

For purposes of the election of Directors, abstentions and broker non-votes will not be considered votes cast and will not affect the plurality vote required for Directors. The persons named as proxies will have discretionary authority to vote all shares for which they serve as proxies, including abstentions and broker non-votes, on the adjournment of the Meeting, whether or not a quorum is present, to a date not more than 120 days after the original record date to permit further solicitation of proxies.

Stockholders who plan to attend the Meeting will be required to provide valid identification in order to gain admission.

The Board of Directors of the Fund knows of no business other than that discussed above that will be presented for consideration at the Meeting. If any other matter is properly presented, it is the intention of the persons named in the enclosed proxy to vote in accordance with their best judgment.

The Fund is a closed-end management investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The principal business address of the Fund is 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103.

The date of this Proxy Statement is February 13, 2015.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the

Stockholder Meeting to be Held on March 26, 2015:

The proxy statement is available at

www.aberdeenGRR.com.

 

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PROPOSAL 1. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Background

In accordance with the Fund’s Charter, the Fund’s Board of Directors is divided into three classes: Class I, Class II and Class III. At the Meeting, Stockholders will be asked to elect two Class II Directors, each to hold office until the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or thereafter until his successor is elected and qualified. The terms of office of the Class I Directors expire at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders in 2017 or thereafter until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified. The terms of office of the Class III Directors expire at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders in 2016 or thereafter until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified. These staggered terms have the effect of limiting the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund by delaying the replacement of a majority of the Board of Directors and could have the effect of depriving Stockholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control of the Fund.

Mr. Jeswald W. Salacuse and Mr. Martin Gilbert are the nominees for election as Class II Directors and have been members of the Fund’s Board of Directors since 1993 and 2012, respectively.

The persons named in the accompanying form of proxy intend to vote at the Meeting (unless directed not to vote) FOR the election of the nominees listed below. The nominees have consented to being named in this proxy statement and have indicated that they will serve if elected. If a nominee should be unable to serve, the proxy will be voted for any other person determined by the persons named as proxies in their discretion.

The following table provides information concerning the nominees for election as Class II Directors:

 

Name, Address
and Age

 

Position(s)
Held with Fund

 

Length of Time
Served

 

Principal Occupation(s)
during Past 5 Years

  Number of
Funds in
Fund
Complex*
Overseen by
Nominee
(including
the Fund)
 

Other Board
Memberships Held
by Nominee During
Past Five Years

Nominees to serve as Class II Directors until the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Independent Director

   

Jeswald W. Salacuse

c/o Aberdeen Asset

Management Inc.

1735 Market Street,

32nd Floor,  Philadelphia,

PA 19103

Birth Year: 1938

  Director, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Audit, Nominating and Valuation Committees   Since 1993   Henry J. Braker Professor of Commercial Law at The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University, since 1986. He has also served as International Arbitrator, Arbitration Tribunal, ICSID, World Bank since 2004.   2  

Former Director of 30 registered investment companies advised by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC and its affiliates.

 

3


Name, Address
and Age

 

Position(s)
Held with Fund

 

Length of Time
Served

 

Principal Occupation(s)
during Past 5 Years

  Number of
Funds in
Fund
Complex*
Overseen by
Nominee
(including
the Fund)
 

Other Board
Memberships Held
by Nominee During
Past Five Years

Interested Director

   

Martin Gilbert1

c/o Aberdeen Asset

Management Inc.

1735 Market Street,

32nd Floor, Philadelphia,

PA 19103

Birth Year: 1955

  Director   Since January 2012   Founding Director and shareholder, and Chief Executive of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC, the holding company of the fund management group that was established in 1983. Director of Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Limited since 1991 and Aberdeen Asset Management Limited since 2000. Director since 1995 and President since 2006 of Aberdeen Asset Management, Inc. (“AAMI”)   28   Member of Board of British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC.

The following table provides information concerning the Class I and Class III Directors currently serving until the year 2017 and 2016 Annual Meetings of Stockholders, respectively:

 

Name, Address
and Age

 

Position(s)
Held with Fund

 

Length of Time
Served

 

Principal Occupation(s)
during Past 5 Years

  Number of
Funds in
Fund
Complex*
Overseen by
Director
(including
the Fund)
 

Other Board
Memberships Held
by Director During
Past Five Years

Class I Directors serving until the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Independent Directors

   

Leslie H. Gelb

c/o Aberdeen Asset

Management Inc.

1735 Market Street,

32nd Floor,  Philadelphia,

PA 19103

Birth Year: 1937

  Director and Member of the Audit and Nominating Committees   Since 1994   President Emeritus of The Council on Foreign Relations since 2003. Previously, a Columnist, Deputy Editorial Page Editor and Editor, Op-Ed Page, of The New York Times, as well as a senior official in the departments of State and Defense.   2   Director of 31 registered investment companies advised by Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC and its affiliates.

 

4


Name, Address
and Age

 

Position(s)
Held with Fund

 

Length of Time
Served

 

Principal Occupation(s)
during Past 5 Years

  Number of
Funds in
Fund
Complex*
Overseen by
Director
(including
the Fund)
 

Other Board
Memberships Held
by Director During
Past Five Years

Luis F. Rubio

c/o Aberdeen Asset

Management Inc.

1735 Market Street,

32nd Floor,  Philadelphia,

PA 19103

Birth Year: 1955

  Director and Member of the Audit and Nominating Committees   Since 1999   Chairman of Centro de Investigacion para el Desarrollo, A.C. (Center of Research for Development) since 2000. He is also a frequent contributor of op-ed pieces to The Wall Street Journal.   2   Director of one registered investment company advised by Advantage Advisers L.L.C. or its affiliates.

Class III Director serving until the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Independent Director

   

Lawrence K. Becker

c/o Aberdeen Asset

Management Inc.

1735 Market Street,

32nd Floor,  Philadelphia,

PA 19103

Birth Year: 1955

  Director and Member of the Audit and Nominating Committees   Since 2003  

Private Investor, Real Estate Investment Management since July 2003; Treasurer of the France Growth Fund from 2004 to 2008;

and Vice President and Controller/Treasurer of National Financial Partners from 2000 to 2003.

  2   Director of one registered investment company advised by Advantage Advisers L.L.C. or its affiliates.

 

* Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Global Income Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Chile Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Emerging Markets Smaller Company Opportunities Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Israel Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Indonesia Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Latin America Equity Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Singapore Fund, Inc., The India Fund, Inc., The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Greater China Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Funds, Aberdeen Investment Funds, and Aberdeen Global Select Opportunities Fund, Inc. have a common investment manager and/or investment adviser, or an investment adviser that is affiliated with the investment manager and/or investment adviser of the Funds, and may thus be deemed to be part of the same “Fund Complex.”
1 

Mr. Gilbert is an “interested person,” as defined in the 1940 Act because he serves as Chief Executive of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC, the parent company of the Fund’s investment manager and administrator.

Each Director was selected to join the Board based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to the Director’s ability to carry out his or her duties as a Director, the Director’s background, business and professional experience, qualifications and skills. Each Director possesses the following specific characteristics: Mr. Becker is a private investor with financial and accounting experience as treasurer and controller of other companies and experience as a member of the Board of other investment companies who, the Board has determined, is an “audit committee financial expert” as explained further below; Mr. Gelb has academic and foreign affairs experience and serves as a board member of other investment companies; Mr. Rubio has business and academic experience as president of a not-for-profit think tank focused on Mexico’s economic and democratic development and has served as a board member of other investment companies; Mr. Salacuse has academic and foreign affairs experience and has served as a

 

5


board member of other investment companies; and Mr. Gilbert is a founder and CEO of a global asset management company with experience as a board member of other investment trusts and a member of several financial organizations.

Director Compensation

Under the federal securities laws, the Fund is required to provide to Stockholders in connection with the Meeting information regarding compensation paid to Directors by the Fund as well as by the various other U.S. registered investment companies advised by the investment manager or an affiliate of the investment manager during the Fund’s prior fiscal year. The following table provides information concerning the approximate compensation paid during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014 to each Director of the Fund and the aggregate compensation paid to them from all registered funds in the Aberdeen Fund Complex for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014. The Fund does not provide any pension or retirement benefits to Directors.

A Fund Complex means two or more registered investment companies that hold themselves out to investors as related companies for purposes of investment and investor services, or that have a common investment manager or that have an investment manager that is an affiliated person of the investment manager of any of the other registered investment companies. Investment companies are considered to be in the same family if they share the same investment manager or principal underwriter and hold themselves out to investors as related companies for purposes of investment and investor services.

Officers of the Fund and Directors who are interested persons of the Fund do not receive any compensation directly from the Fund or any other fund in the Fund Complex for performing their duties as officers or Directors, respectively, although they are reimbursed by the Fund for reasonable out-of-pocket travel expenses for attending Board meetings.

 

Name of Director

   Aggregate
Compensation
from Fund
       Total
Compensation

from  Other Funds
Advised by
Adviser
       Total
Compensation
from Fund and
Fund Complex
 

Lawrence K. Becker

   $ 12,000         $ 62,000         $ 75,500   

Leslie H. Gelb

   $ 12,000         $ 58,000         $ 75,500   

Luis F. Rubio

   $ 12,000         $ 58,000         $ 75,500   

Jeswald W. Salacuse

   $ 14,250         $ 79,500         $ 95,500   

Martin Gilbert

   $ 0         $ 0         $ 0   

 

6


Beneficial Share Ownership

Based upon a review of the most recent filings made pursuant to Section 13 of the 1934 Act, as of February 6, 2015, the following table shows certain information concerning persons who may be deemed beneficial owners of 5% of more of the outstanding shares of the Fund:

 

Shares    Percentage    Name    Address      
862,566    24.4%    City of London Investment
Group
  

77 Gracechurch St.

London EC 3V 0AS

England

    

Cede & Co., a nominee for participants in The Depository Trust Company, held of record 3,455,114 shares, equal to approximately 97.88% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

Ownership of Securities

The following table provides information concerning the number and dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Director as of February 6, 2015:

 

Name of Director
or Nominee

   Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in the Fund
   Aggregate Dollar Range
of Equity Securities in
All Funds Overseen by
Director or Nominee in
Aberdeen Family of
Investment Companies(1)

Directors

     

Lawrence K. Becker

   $10,001-$50,000    $50,001-$100,000

Leslie H. Gelb

   $10,001-$50,000    $10,001-$50,000

Martin Gilbert

   $10,001-$50,000    $50,001-$100,000

Luis F. Rubio

   $10,001-$50,000    $10,001-$50,000

Jeswald W. Salacuse

   $10,001-$50,000    $10,001-$50,000

All Directors and Executive Officers (as a group)

   $50,001-$100,000    Over $100,000

 

(1) 

“Aberdeen Family of Investment Companies” means those registered investment companies that share Aberdeen Asset Management or an affiliate as the investment adviser and that hold themselves out to investors as related companies for purposes of investment and investor services.

As of February 6, 2015, the holdings of no Director or executive officer, nor the Directors and executive officers of the Fund as a group, represented more than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Fund’s common stock. At February 6, 2015, no Director or nominee for election as Director who is not an “interested person” of the Fund as defined in the 1940 Act, nor any immediate family member of such persons, owned beneficially or of record any shares of Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Limited (“AAMAL”), the Fund’s investment manager, or any person or entity (other than the Fund) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with AAMAL.

 

7


Responsibilities of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is responsible under applicable state law for overseeing generally the operation of the Fund. The Directors oversee the Fund’s operations by, among other things, meeting at regularly scheduled meetings and as otherwise needed with the Fund’s management and evaluating the performance of the Fund’s service providers including AAMAL, the Fund’s custodian, and the transfer agent. As part of this process, the Directors consult with the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, and the independent directors as defined in the 1940 Act (“Independent Directors”) consult with their own separate independent counsel.

The Directors regularly review the Fund’s financial statements, performance and market price as well as the quality of the services being provided to the Fund. As part of this process, the Directors review the Fund’s fees and expenses to determine if they are reasonable and competitive in light of the services being received, while also ensuring that the Fund continues to have access to high quality services in the future. Based on these reviews, the Directors periodically make suggestions to the Fund’s management and monitor to ensure that responsive action is taken. The Directors also monitor potential conflicts of interest among the Fund, AAMAL and its affiliates and other funds and clients managed by AAMAL with the objective that the Fund will be managed in a manner that is in the best interest of the Fund’s Stockholders.

The Board of Directors has four regularly scheduled meetings each year and additional meetings are scheduled as needed. Furthermore, the Board of Directors has a standing Audit Committee and a Nominating Committee, which meet periodically during the year and the responsibilities of which are described below.

The Board of Directors is currently comprised of five Directors, four of whom are “independent” as defined in the NYSE listing standards. The Independent Directors have separate legal counsel and regularly meet apart from management. In fulfilling their general oversight responsibility, the Directors regularly receive reports from the Fund’s investment manager, the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”), counsel to the Fund and counsel to the Independent Directors. The Board’s role in risk oversight of the Fund reflects its responsibility under applicable state law to oversee generally, rather than to manage, the operations of the Fund. In line with this general oversight responsibility, the Board receives reports and makes regular inquiries at its quarterly meetings and as needed regarding the nature and extent of significant Fund risks (including investment, compliance and valuation risks) that could potentially have a materially adverse impact on the business operations, investment performance or reputation of the Fund, but relies upon the Fund’s management (including its portfolio managers and CCO, who report directly to the Board) and AAMAL to assist it in identifying and understanding the nature and extent of such risks and determining that such risks are being effectively managed by the implementation of appropriate policies, procedures and controls. In addition to reports and other information received from Fund management and AAMAL regarding the Fund’s investment program and activities, the Board as part of its risk oversight efforts meets at its quarterly meetings and as needed with the Fund’s CCO to discuss, among other things, any issues regarding the policies, procedures and controls of the Fund. The Board may be assisted in performing aspects of its role in risk oversight by the Audit Committee and such other standing or special committees as may be established from time to time by the Board. Based on a review of

 

8


the Board and its functions, the Board has determined that the leadership structure of the Board of Directors, including its role in risk oversight, is appropriate given the characteristics and circumstances of the Fund.

The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, despite the periodic reports the Board receives, it may not be made aware of all of the relevant information of a particular risk. Most of the Fund’s investment management and business affairs are carried out by or through the Fund’s management and AAMAL and other service providers, each of which has an independent interest in risk management but whose policies and the methods by which one or more risk management functions are carried out may differ from the Fund’s and each other’s in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s risk management oversight is subject to substantial limitations.

Officers of the Fund

The executive officers of the Fund are chosen annually to hold office until the next year and until their successors are chosen and qualified. The current executive officers of the Fund are:

 

Name, Address and Age

  

Position(s) Held with Fund

  

Term of Office and
Length of Time Served

  

Principal Occupation
During Past 5 Years

Alan Goodson*

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Birth Year: 1974

   President    Since 2011    Currently, Head of Product US, overseeing Product Management, Product Development, and Investor Services for Aberdeen’s registered and unregistered investment companies in the US and Canada. Mr. Goodson is Vice President of AAMI and joined Aberdeen in 2000.

Jeffrey Cotton*

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Birth Year: 1977

   Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer    Since 2011    Currently, Vice President and Head of Compliance-Americas for AAMI. Mr. Cotton joined Aberdeen in 2010. Prior to joining Aberdeen, Mr. Cotton was a Senior Compliance Officer at Old Mutual Asset Management (2009-2010) supporting its affiliated investment advisers and mutual fund platform. Mr. Cotton was also a VP, Senior Compliance Manager at Bank of America/Columbia Management (2006-2009).

 

9


Name, Address and Age

  

Position(s) Held with Fund

  

Term of Office and
Length of Time Served

  

Principal Occupation
During Past 5 Years

Lucia Sitar*

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Birth Year: 1971

   Vice President and Chief Legal Officer    Since 2012    Currently Managing U.S. Counsel for AAMI. Ms. Sitar joined AAMI in July 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Sitar was an associate attorney in the Investment Management Group of Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP (law firm) (2000-2007).

Andrea Melia*

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Birth Year: 1969

   Treasurer    Since 2011    Currently, Vice President and Head of Fund Administration – US for AAMI (since 2009). Prior to joining Aberdeen, Ms. Melia was Director of Fund Administration and accounting oversight for Princeton Administrators LLC, a division of BlackRock Inc. and had worked with Princeton Administrators since 1992.

Megan Kennedy*

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Birth Year: 1974

   Vice President and Secretary    Since 2011    Currently, Head of Product Management for AAMI. Ms. Kennedy joined AAMI in 2005 as a Senior Fund Administrator. Ms. Kennedy became an Assistant Treasurer of Collective Funds/North American Mutual Funds in February 2008 and became a Treasurer of Collective Funds/North American Mutual Funds in July 2008.

Adrian Lim*

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Birth Year: 1971

   Vice President    Since 2012    Currently, Senior Investment Manager on the Asian Equities Team. Adrian joined Aberdeen in 2000 as a manager in private equity on the acquisition of Murray Johnstone and transferred to his current role soon after.

 

10


Name, Address and Age

  

Position(s) Held with Fund

  

Term of Office and
Length of Time Served

  

Principal Occupation
During Past 5 Years

Bev Hendry*

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Birth Year: 1961

   Vice President    Since 2014    Co-Head of Americas and Chief Financial Officer for AAMI since July 2014. He first joined Aberdeen in 1987 and helped establish Aberdeen’s business in the Americas in Fort Lauderdale. Mr. Hendry left Aberdeen in 2008 when the company moved to consolidate its headquarters in Philadelphia. Mr. Hendry re-joined Aberdeen from Hansberger Global Investors in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he worked for six years as Chief Operating Officer.

Jennifer Nichols*

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Birth Year: 1978

   Vice President    Since 2011    Currently, Global Head of Legal for Aberdeen. Director, Vice President for AAMI since October 2006.

Christian Pittard*

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor,

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Birth Year: 1973

   Vice President    Since 2011    Currently, Group Head of Product Development, for Aberdeen Asset Management PLC and Director of Aberdeen Asset Managers Limited since 2010. Previously, Director and Vice President (2006-2008), Chief Executive Officer (from October 2005 to September 2006) of AAMI.

Hugh Young**

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor,

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Birth Year: 1958

   Vice President    Since 2012    Mr. Young has been a member of the Executive Management Committee of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC since 1991. He has been Managing Director of Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Limited since 1991.

Kasey Deja*

Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor,

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Birth Year: 1979

   Assistant Secretary    Since 2012    Currently, Senior Product Manager within Product Management for AAMI. Ms. Deja joined Aberdeen in 2005 as an Analyst in Investment Operations and transitioned to the U.S. Transitions Team in 2007. In 2009, she became Manager of the U.S. Transitions Team and transitioned to her current role in 2011.

 

11


Name, Address and Age

 

Position(s) Held with Fund

 

Term of Office and
Length of Time Served

 

Principal Occupation
During Past 5 Years

Sharon Ferrari*

c/o Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

Attn: US Legal

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor,

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Year of Birth: 1977

  Assistant Treasurer   Since 2013   Currently, Senior Fund Administration Manager for AAMI. Ms. Ferrari joined AAMI as a Senior Fund Administrator in 2008. Prior to joining AAMI, Ms. Ferrari was an Accounting Analyst at Delaware Investments.

Sofia Rosala*

c/o Aberdeen Asset Management Inc.

Attn: US Legal

1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor,

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Year of Birth: 1974

  Vice President and Deputy Chief Compliance Officer   Since 2013   Currently U.S. Counsel / Deputy Fund CCO. She joined Aberdeen in 2012. Prior to joining Aberdeen, she worked as an Associate for Morgan, Lewis and Bockius and as Corporate Counsel and Vice President at SEI Investments Company.

 

* Messrs. Goodson, Cotton, Lim, Hendry, Pittard and Young and Mses. Sitar, Melia, Kennedy, Nichols, Deja, Ferrari, and Rosala hold officer position(s) in one or more of the following: Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Global Income Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Chile Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Emerging Markets Smaller Company Opportunities Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Israel Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Indonesia Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Latin America Equity Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Singapore Fund, Inc., The India Fund, Inc., The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Greater China Fund, Inc., Aberdeen Funds, Aberdeen Investment Funds, and Aberdeen Global Select Opportunities Fund, Inc. each of which may also be deemed to be a part of the same “Fund Complex.”
** Mr. Young serves as an Interested Director on the Aberdeen Australia Equity Fund, Inc. and The India Fund, Inc. which have a common Investment Manager and/or Investment Adviser with the Fund, or an investment adviser that is affiliated with the Investment Manager and Investment Adviser with the Fund, and may thus be deemed to be part of the same “Fund Complex” as the Fund.

Audit Committee

The Fund’s Audit Committee is composed entirely of Directors who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, AAMAL or its affiliates within the meaning of the 1940 Act and who are “independent” as defined in the NYSE listing standards. Currently, Mr. Salacuse is the Chairman and Messrs. Becker, Gelb and Rubio are members of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee convened four times during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014. The principal functions of the Audit Committee are to appoint and retain the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, to review with the independent registered public accounting firm the scope, performance and anticipated cost of their audit and to receive and consider a report from the independent registered public accounting firm concerning their conduct of the audit, including the form of the opinion proposed to be rendered and any comments or recommendations the independent registered public accounting firm might want to make in that connection. The Board has determined that Mr. Becker is an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined in Section 401(h) of Regulation S-K. The Fund adopted an Audit Committee Charter in February 2000, which was most recently amended in May 2013. The Audit Committee Charter states that no member of the Committee may serve on the audit committees of more than three public companies, including the Fund, unless the Board of Directors determines that such simultaneous service would not impair the ability of such member to

 

12


serve on the Committee effectively. For the purposes of this determination, service on the Committee of the Funds shall be counted as service on a single audit committee and service on multiple audit committees within the same fund complex shall be counted as service on a single audit committee. The Board of Directors has determined that the service by Messrs. Becker, Gelb and Salacuse on the audit committees of more than two other public companies does not impair each of their ability to serve effectively on the Fund’s Audit Committee. The Fund’s amended and restated Audit Committee Charter was attached as Appendix A to the Proxy Statement filed by the Fund on February 14, 2014.

The members of the Audit Committee are not professionally engaged in the practice of auditing or accounting and are not employed by the Fund for accounting, financial management or internal control. Moreover, the Audit Committee relies on and makes no independent verification of the facts presented to it or representations made by management or the independent registered public accounting firm. Accordingly, the Audit Committee’s oversight does not provide an independent basis to determine that management has maintained appropriate accounting and financial reporting principles and policies, or internal controls and procedures, designed to assure compliance with accounting standards and applicable laws and regulations. Furthermore, the Audit Committee’s considerations and discussions referred to above do not provide assurance that the audit of the Fund’s financial statements has been carried out in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards or that the financial statements are presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Pursuant to the Fund’s Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policy, the Audit Committee pre-approved all audit and non-audit services provided by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”), the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, to the Fund in 2014. As set forth in the Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies, the Audit Committee has authorized the Chairman of the Audit Committee to pre-approve certain services to be performed by PwC, as necessary, between audit committee meetings which would then be presented to the full Audit Committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting. A representative of PwC will be available during the Meeting to answer appropriate questions and will have an opportunity to make a statement if he or she chooses to do so.

Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee is composed entirely of Directors who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, AAMAL or its affiliates within the meaning of the 1940 Act and who are “independent” as defined in the NYSE listing standards. Currently, Mr. Salacuse is the Chairman and Messrs. Becker, Gelb and Rubio are members of the Nominating Committee. This Committee convened one time during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014. The principal function of the Nominating Committee is to select and nominate persons for election as Directors of the Fund. The Fund’s Nominating Committee Charter was attached as Appendix A to the Proxy Statement filed by the Fund on February 15, 2013.

The Nominating Committee identifies potential nominees through its network of contacts. While the Nominating Committee meets to discuss and consider such candidates’ qualifications and then chooses a candidate by majority vote, the Nominating Committee does not have specific, minimum qualifications for nominees and has not established specific qualities or skills that it regards as necessary for one or more of the Fund’s Directors to possess (other than any qualities or skills that may be required by applicable law, regulation or listing standard).

 

13


In identifying and evaluating nominees, the Nominating Committee considers factors it deems relevant which include: whether or not the person is an “interested person” as defined in the 1940 Act and whether the person is otherwise qualified under applicable laws and regulations to serve on the Board of Directors of the Fund; whether or not the person has any relationship that might impair his or her independence, such as any business, financial or family relationships with Fund management, the investment manager of the Fund, Fund service providers or their affiliates; whether or not the person serves on boards of, or is otherwise affiliated with, competing organizations or funds; and the character and integrity of the person and the contribution which the person can make to the Board. The Nominating Committee does not have a formal diversity policy, but may also consider diversity of professional experience, education and skills when evaluating potential nominees. The Nominating Committee will accept nominations for the office of Director made by Stockholders. Stockholders who wish to recommend a nominee should send nominations to the Secretary of the Fund which include biographical information and set forth the qualifications of the proposed nominee. There are no differences in the manner in which the Nominating Committee evaluates nominees based on whether such nominees are recommended by a Stockholder.

The Fund does not pay a fee to any third party or parties to identify or evaluate or assist in identifying or evaluating potential nominees. The Nominating Committee did not receive a recommended nominee from a Stockholder who beneficially owned, or a group of Stockholders who beneficially owned, more than 5% of the Fund’s shares for at least one year as of the date the recommendation was made.

Board Meetings

During the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014, the Board of Directors held four regular meetings and two special meetings. Each Director attended at least 75% of the meetings of the Board or the committee(s) of the Board on which he served.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the 1934 Act and Section 30(h) of the 1940 Act in combination require the Fund’s Directors and officers, persons who own more than ten percent of the Fund’s common stock, and AAMAL and its directors and officers, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership of the Fund’s securities with the SEC and the NYSE. These persons and entities are required by SEC regulation to furnish the Fund with copies of all such forms they file.

Based solely on a review of those forms furnished to the Fund, and except as provided in the following sentence, the Fund believes that the Fund’s Directors and Officers, and AAMAL and its directors and officers, have complied with applicable filing requirements during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014.

Based solely on a review of those forms furnished to the Fund, the Fund believes that the Fund’s Directors and Officers, and AAMAL and its directors and officers, complied with applicable filing requirements during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014 in a timely manner, except that a Form 3 report was filed on September 2, 2014 by Mr. Beverley Hendry, an officer of the Fund, reflecting his appointment as Vice President of the Fund on August 4, 2014.

Report of the Audit Committee

The Audit Committee reports that it has: (i) reviewed and discussed the Fund’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014 with management; and (ii) discussed with PwC, the

 

14


Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, the matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61 (“SAS 61”). SAS 61 requires the independent registered public accounting firm to communicate to the Audit Committee matters including, if applicable: (i) methods used to account for significant unusual transactions; (ii) the effect of significant accounting policies in controversial or emerging areas for which there is a lack of authoritative guidance or consensus; (iii) the process used by management in formulating particularly sensitive accounting estimates and the basis for the auditor’s conclusions regarding the reasonableness of those estimates; and (iv) disagreements with management over the application of accounting principles and certain other matters.

The Audit Committee also reports that it previously received written confirmation from PwC that it is independent and written disclosures regarding such independence as required by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Rule 3526 and discussed with PwC the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence. In addition, the Audit Committee has reviewed the aggregate fees billed by PwC for professional services rendered to the Fund and for non-audit services provided to: AAMAL, the Fund’s investment manager, and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with AAMAL that provided services to the Fund. As part of this review, the Committee considered, in addition to other practices and requirements relating to selection of the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, whether the provision of such non-audit services was compatible with maintaining the independence of PwC.

Based on the foregoing review and discussions, the Audit Committee presents this report to the Board of Directors and recommends that the Fund’s audited financial statements be included in the Fund’s annual report to stockholders for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014 and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Submitted by the Audit Committee of the Fund’s Board of Directors

Lawrence K. Becker

Leslie H. Gelb

Luis F. Rubio

Jeswald W. Salacuse

December 23, 2014

Required Vote

Directors are elected by a plurality of all the votes cast by the holders of shares of common stock of the Fund present in person or represented by proxy at a meeting with a quorum present. A “plurality of the votes” cast means the candidate must receive more votes than any other candidate for the same position, but not necessarily a majority of the votes cast. For purposes of the election of Directors, abstentions and broker non-votes will not be considered votes cast, and do not affect the plurality vote required for Directors.

Please note that unless otherwise instructed, the proxies will vote FOR the nominees for Directors.

The Directors, including the Independent Directors, recommend that Stockholders vote “FOR” the nominees for Directors.

 

15


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Service Providers

AAMAL currently serves as the Fund’s investment manager. The address of AAMAL is 21 Church Street, #01-01, Capital Square Two, Singapore 049480. AAMAL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC.

AAMI currently serves as the Fund’s administrator. The address of AAMI is 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103. AAMI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC.

AAMI subcontracts certain of its responsibilities as administrator to State Street Bank and Trust Company. The address of State Street Bank and Trust Company is One Heritage Drive, North Quincy, MA 02171.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Fund’s Audit Committee has adopted written policies relating to the pre-approval of the audit and non-audit services performed by the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. Unless a type of service to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm has received general pre-approval, it requires specific pre-approval by the Audit Committee. Under the policies, on an annual basis, the Fund’s Audit Committee reviews and pre-approves the services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm. In addition, the Audit Committee pre-approves any permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm to AAMAL or any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with AAMAL if such services relate directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Fund. As set forth in the Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies, the Audit Committee has authorized the Chairman of the Audit Committee to pre-approve certain services to be performed by PwC, as necessary, between audit committee meetings which would then be presented to the full Audit Committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

Audit Fees. The aggregate fees paid to PwC in connection with the annual audit of the Fund’s financial statements and for services normally provided by PwC in connection with the statutory and regulatory filings of the Fund for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2014 were $82,555 and $85,000, respectively, including out-of-pocket expenses.

Audit-Related Fees. The aggregate fees paid to PwC in connection with assurance and related services reasonably related to the annual audit of the Fund and for review of the Fund’s financial statements, other than the Audit Fees described above, for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2014 were $5,000 and $0, respectively.

Tax Fees. The aggregate fees paid for domestic and international tax-related services, including tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning, rendered by PwC to the Fund for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2014 were $16,195 and $17,000, respectively.

All Other Fees. The aggregate fees billed for all other non-audit services rendered by PwC to the Fund for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2014 were $0 and $0, respectively.

 

16


The aggregate non-audit fees billed by PwC for services rendered to the Fund, AAMAL, and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Fund or AAMAL that provided ongoing services to the Fund for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2013 and October 31, 2014 were $845,290 and $2,300,584, respectively. The Audit Committee has determined that the provision of non-audit services is compatible with maintaining the independence of PwC.

None of the services described above, provided in the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014, were approved pursuant to the de minimis exception provided in Rule 2-01(c)(7)(i)(C) of Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC.

Other Business

The Fund’s Board of Directors does not know of any other matter that may come before the Meeting. If any other matter properly comes before the Meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the proxy to vote the proxies in accordance with their judgment on that matter.

Stockholder Proposals

All proposals by Stockholders of the Fund that are intended to be presented at the Fund’s next Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be held in 2016, must be received by the Fund (addressed to The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc., 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103) for inclusion in the Fund’s proxy statement and proxy relating to that meeting no later than October 16, 2015. Any Stockholder who desires to bring a proposal for consideration at the Fund’s year 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders without including such proposal in the Fund’s proxy statement must deliver written notice thereof to the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Fund (addressed to The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc., 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103) during the period from November 27, 2015 to December 27, 2015. However, if the Fund’s 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders is held earlier than February 24, 2016 or later than May 24, 2016, such written notice must be delivered to the Secretary of the Fund no earlier than 120 days before the date of the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and no later than the later of 90 days before the date of the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or 10 days following the public announcement of the date of the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Any Stockholder proposal, including any accompanying supporting statement, may not exceed 500 words. A Stockholder desiring to submit a proposal must be a record or beneficial owner of shares with a market value of $2,000 and must have held such shares for at least one year. Further, the Stockholder must continue to hold such shares through the date on which the Annual Meeting is held. Documentary support regarding the foregoing must be provided along with the proposal. There are additional requirements regarding proposals of Stockholders, and a Stockholder contemplating submission of a proposal is referred to Rule 14a-8 promulgated under the 1934 Act and Section 4(b) of the By-Laws of the Fund. The timely submission of a proposal does not guarantee its inclusion in a Fund’s proxy materials.

Stockholder Communications with the Board of Directors

The Fund has adopted procedures by which Fund Stockholders may send communications to the Board of Directors. Stockholders may mail written communications to the Board of Directors to the attention of the

 

17


Board of Directors of The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc., c/o the Fund’s Chief Legal Officer, 1735 Market Street, 32nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA, 19103. Stockholder communications must (i) be in writing and be signed by the Stockholder and (ii) identify the number of shares held by the Stockholder. The Chief Legal Officer of the Fund is responsible for reviewing properly submitted Stockholder communications. The Chief Legal Officer shall either (i) provide a copy of each properly submitted Stockholder communication to the Board of Directors at its next regularly scheduled board meeting or (ii) if the Chief Legal Officer determines that the communication requires more immediate attention, forward the communication to the Directors promptly after receipt. The Chief Legal Officer may, in good faith, determine that a Stockholder communication should not be provided to the Board because it does not reasonably relate to the Fund or its operations, management, activities, policies, service providers, Board, officers, Stockholders or other matters relating to an investment in the Fund or is otherwise ministerial in nature. These procedures shall not apply to (i) any communication from an officer or Director of the Fund, (ii) any communication from an employee or agent of the Fund, unless such communication is made solely in such employee’s or agent’s capacity as a Stockholder of the Fund, or (iii) any Stockholder proposal submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the 1934 Act, as amended, or any communication made in connection with such a proposal.

The Fund does not have a formal policy regarding attendance by Directors at Annual Meetings of Stockholders.

Expenses of Proxy Solicitation

The costs of preparing, printing, assembling and mailing material in connection with this solicitation of proxies will be borne by the Fund, even if the proposal is not successful, as will all of the other costs in connection with the Meeting. Proxies may also be solicited personally by Directors and officers of the Fund and by regular employees of AAMAL, its respective affiliates or other representatives of the Fund, and may be accomplished by telephone in addition to the use of mails. Brokerage houses, banks and other fiduciaries may be requested to forward proxy solicitation material to their principals to obtain authorization for the execution of proxies, and they will be reimbursed by the Fund for out-of-pocket expenses so incurred.

In addition, Georgeson Inc. (“Georgeson”), a proxy solicitation firm, has been retained to assist in the solicitation of the proxy vote. It is anticipated that Georgeson will be paid an amount estimated at $3,000 plus reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. Therefore, expenses of the Meeting will include costs of (i) preparing, assembling and mailing material in connection with the solicitation, (ii) soliciting proxies by officers or employees, personally or by telephone or telegraph, (iii) reimbursing brokerage houses, banks and other fiduciaries and (iv) compensating the proxy solicitor.

Georgeson may call Stockholders to ask if they would be willing to have their votes recorded by telephone. The telephone voting procedure is designed to authenticate Stockholders’ identities, to allow Stockholders to authorize the voting of their shares in accordance with their instructions and to confirm that their instructions have been recorded properly. A Stockholder voting by telephone would be asked for his or her social security number or other identifying information and would be given an opportunity to authorize proxies to vote his or her shares in accordance with his or her instructions. To ensure that the Stockholder’s instructions have been recorded correctly, he or she will receive a confirmation of such instructions in the

 

18


mail. The confirmation is a replica of the proxy card but with marks indicating how the Stockholder voted, along with a special toll-free number which will be available in the event the Stockholder wishes to change or revoke the vote. Although a Stockholder’s vote may be taken by telephone, each Stockholder will receive a copy of this proxy statement and may vote by mailing the enclosed proxy card. If you have any questions or need assistance in voting, please contact Georgeson at its toll-free number, 1-877-847-1383.

Please vote promptly by signing and dating the enclosed proxy card and returning it in the accompanying postage-paid return envelope or by following the instructions on the enclosed proxy card for voting by telephone or over the Internet.

February 13, 2015

 

19


EVERY STOCKHOLDER’S VOTE IS IMPORTANT

 

EASY VOTING OPTIONS:
LOGO   

VOTE ON THE INTERNET

Log on to:

www.proxy-direct.com

or scan the QR code

Follow the on-screen instructions

available 24 hours

LOGO   

VOTE BY PHONE

Call 1-800-337-3503

Follow the recorded instructions

available 24 hours

LOGO   

VOTE BY MAIL

Vote, sign and date this Proxy

Card and return in the

postage-paid envelope

LOGO   

VOTE IN PERSON

Attend Stockholder Meeting

712 Fifth Avenue, 49th Floor

(entrance on 56th Street)

New York, NY 10019

on March 26, 2015

Please detach at perforation before mailing.

 

PROXY   

THE ASIA TIGERS FUND, INC.

ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO BE HELD ON MARCH 26, 2015

   PROXY

THIS PROXY IS BEING SOLICITED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The undersigned Stockholder(s) of The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc., revoking previous proxies, hereby appoints Alan Goodson, Megan Kennedy, and Kasey Deja, or any one of them true and lawful attorneys with power of substitution of each, to vote all shares of The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc. which the undersigned is entitled to vote, at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on March 26, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. New York time, at the offices of Aberdeen Asset Management Inc., 712 Fifth Avenue, 49th Floor (entrance on 56th Street), New York, New York 10019, and at any adjournment or postponement thereof as indicated on the reverse side.

In their discretion, the proxy holders named above are authorized to vote upon such other matters as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Receipt of the Notice of the Annual Meeting and the accompanying Proxy Statement is hereby acknowledged. If this Proxy is executed but no instructions are given, the votes entitled to be cast by the undersigned will be cast “FOR” the nominees for director (Proposal 1).

 

VOTE VIA THE INTERNET: www.proxy-direct.com

VOTE VIA THE TELEPHONE: 1-800-337-3503

   
       

 

Note: Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) on this Proxy. Joint owners should each sign personally. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, trustee, officer of corporation or other entity or in another representative capacity, please give the full title under the signature.

 

Signature and Title, if applicable

 

Signature (if held jointly)

 

Date     GRR_26393_011215

PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THE PROXY PROMPTLY USING THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE.


EVERY STOCKHOLDER’S VOTE IS IMPORTANT

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the

The Asia Tigers Fund, Inc.

Stockholders Meeting to Be Held on March 26, 2015 (New York time)

The Proxy Statement for this meeting is available at: http://www.aberdeenGRR.com

IF YOU VOTE ON THE INTERNET OR BY TELEPHONE,

YOU NEED NOT RETURN THIS PROXY CARD

Please detach at perforation before mailing.

In their discretion, the proxy holders are authorized to vote upon the matters set forth in the Notice of Meeting and Proxy Statement dated February 13, 2015 and upon all other such matters as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE NOMINEES FOR DIRECTOR IN PROPOSAL 1.

TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK. Example: n

 

1.      To elect two Class II Directors to the Board of Directors to serve until the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

     FOR

ALL

  WITHHOLD

ALL

   FOR ALL

EXCEPT

01 Jeswald W. Salacuse             02 Martin Gilbert

     ¨   ¨    ¨

         INSTRUCTIONS: To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark the box “FOR ALL EXCEPT” and write the nominee’s number on the line provided below.

 

                                                                                                                                                         

         

2.      To transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting.

         

PLEASE SIGN AND DATE ON THE REVERSE SIDE

GRR_26393_011215