Fund Times 03 – 07 August
Changes within Investec’s Fixed Income team; Gartmore strengthens its Tokyo office; Bob Doll steps down from BGF US Growth Fund; Veteran Departs Legg Mason affiliate; Morningstar qualitative ratings and reports issued this week.
Investec has announced that Jeff Burch will be joining the firm as co-head of credit within its fixed income team. Burch moves across from Blue Mountain Capital, a credit specialist hedge fund. In his previous role Burch was in charge of European credit. At Investec he will manage the firm’s Global Credit Opportunities fund. The firm is also looking to add at least one additional senior member to the credit team to further develop their capabilities.
Gartmore strengthens its Tokyo office.
Robert Tull will be joining Gartmore’s Tokyo-based Japanese equities team as a portfolio manager/analyst. Tull has over a decade’s investment experience, most recently as a portfolio manager KBC Alternative Investment Management in Hong Kong. Prior to that he has worked as a research analyst at KBC Securities in Japan and Cazenove Japan. In his new role, Tull will report to John Stewart, head of Japanese Equities. As part of his duties, he will provide portfolio management support for Stewart and Justin Bowles, managers of the Japanese equity long/short funds.
Bob Doll steps down from BGF US Growth Fund.
BlackRock Chief Investment Officer Bob Doll has stepped down from managing the firm’s Lux-domiciled US Growth fund. Doll had been in charge since April 2006 and will continue to manage his other funds, BGF US Flexible Equity and BlackRock US Dynamic. The firm announced that effective July 31, Jeff Lindsey any and Ed Dowd will be the fund’s new co-managers. Lindsey is head of BlackRock’s Fundament Large Cap Growth team. BGF US Growth is currently rated Standard by Morningstar’s Qualitative research team and we’ll be looking to meet the new managers in the near future to update our view.
Veteran Departs Legg Mason affiliate.
ClearBridge Advisors, an affiliate of Legg mason announced management changes to a number of their funds, some of which are available to investors in Europe. The most notable is that veteran growth manager Hersch Cohen who has been at the firm since 1979, is stepping down from LM-CB US Appreciation. Cohen will be remaining with the firm. Another change is that Alan Blake who has been at the firm since 1997 has announced his retirement. Blake was responsible for a number of Dublin and Lux registered funds including LM-CB US Large Cap Growth, Legg Mason US Large Cap Growth & Legg Mason US Growth and Value. Scott Glasser who has been a part of the team for the last six years will take on lead responsibility for the fund and will be joined by Peter Bourbeau.
Morningstar qualitative ratings and reports issued this week.
Morningstar issued new qualitative ratings and reports on a number of funds available to UK investors this week, including Fidelity Japan, Baillie Gifford Corporate Bond, Fidelity Funds Global Focus, Fidelity Global Focus, F&C Pacific Growth, Aberdeen Japan Growth, Artemis UK Special Situations, Franklin Mutual Global Discovery, MS INVF Global Convertible Bond, Schroder ISF BRIC and Schroder Global Emerging Markets. Click here to see the full list.