Fund Times: 3 – 7 March
Aberdeen’s Chou Chong leaves position of Head of UK & European Equities; Bulk of Glasgow Investment Managers' Investment Trust team quits Aberdeen; Head of Global Equities Paul Butler leaves Newton; Aled Smith replaced on M&G Asian; BNP Paribas launch European Property Recovery fund.
Aberdeen Asset Management this week announced that Chou Chong will step down from the position of Head of UK & European Equities. Chong, who is relocating to Singapore for personal reasons, will be replaced by James Laing. Laing has 12 years investment management experience and has been with Aberdeen since 2000. He was previously a senior member of Aberdeen’s 20-strong UK & European Equities team. Chong is not leaving Aberdeen but will instead rejoin the Asian Equities team in Singapore. He will continue his work with Hugh Young and oversee the implementation of the Aberdeen Equity investment process globally. The UK & Europe equity team had been under Chong’s leadership since 2002.
Bulk of Glasgow Investment Managers' Investment Trust Team Quits Aberdeen
Aberdeen suffered further losses this week as the bulk of Glasgow Investment Managers' investment trust team has quit only months after the company was acquired for £6.25m. Iain Lynn, head of the GIM fund management team will leave the group after transition of his responsibilities. Meanwhile two of his three colleagues, Craig Yeaman and Martin Brown, have already left. Yeaman has been hired by Saracen Fund Managers, and it is understood Brown will be employed by Glasgow-based Resolution Asset Management.
Legal & General Hires UK Equity Analyst
Legal & General Investment Management announced it has hired Richard Black as an analyst for its UK Equity team. Black previously worked at Old Mutual Asset Management since 2002, and will start at L&G in April. The hire should help shore up what had been a fairly small team. Black will assist Tim Mann in managing the firm's equity-income funds and will be responsible for covering several economic sectors in the UK market.
Head of Global Equities Paul Butler Leaves Newton
Newton Investment Management's head of global equity Paul Butler has left the company after more than 20 years' service. Butler ran the £642m Newton International Growth fund, which will now pass to Jon Bell, who will also be responsible for several segregated pension portfolios. Bell will be supported by Alex Stanic, James Harries and Paul Markham, and will continue to construct the Global Equity portfolios using the Newton’s house model portfolios.
Aled Smith Replaced on M&G Asian
Aled Smith has stepped down as lead manager of the M&G Asian fund, and will be replaced by Michael Godfrey, who was previously the funds deputy, and Matthew Vaight, currently deputy manager on Global Basics, with immediate effect. Smith moves to the position of deputy manager on the fund, but will retain his position as lead manager on the group's Global Leaders and American funds.
BNP Paribas Launch European Property Recovery Fund
Harewood Solutions, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, are launching an Enhanced Property Recovery structured product into the teeth of a difficult market. The fund will attempt to benefit from a potential recovery in UK and European property. Its performance will be tied to the European Public Real Estate Index, a market-cap weighted index consisting of 97 companies in 15 countries.