Japanese hedge fund shop Rogers Investments Advisors and its U.S. affiliate are growing in expectation of a big upsurge in assets under management.

Tokyo-based Rogers has hired Yoshiaki Iizuka as managing director and head of Japanese research, while Eric Chong joins New York-based Wolver Hill Advisors as a risk manager, Bloomberg News reports. The two new hires bring the total number of full-time employees at Rogers to five.

Iizuka joined the firm on Aug. 1 from Traders Investment Management Co., now called JPS Asset Management. He has also served as CEO of American Express Financial Advisors Japan. Chong came on board in July after stints as a risk manager at Société Générale Asset Management and as a vice president a fund of hedge funds shop K2 Advisors.

Rogers expects to more than double its assets by the end of the year.