Lipper Alpha Insight - Fund Manager Chat

In this wide-ranging  #FundManagerChat, Rajiv Jain, CIO of GQG Partners and Manager of the GQG Partners Global Equity Fund, discusses how he finds the opportunities in global equities markets.

Rajiv explains what drove him to set up his own fund house after forging a successful career at Vontobel and outlines the key influences behind his unique and successful "quality growth" process.

Rajiv also provides a summary of global equities markets and explains how his considerable experience with previous bear markets is helping him navigate the difficulties presented by the current Covid-19 crisis.

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Rajiv Jain is chatting remotely with Jake Moeller, Head of Lipper UK and Ireland Research at Refinitiv, on May 5, 2020.

About Rajiv Jain

Rajiv is the Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of GQG Partners and also serves as the lead portfolio manager for all GQG Partners strategies.

Rajiv commenced investment operations at GQG Partners in June 2016 with over 25 years of investment experience. Previously, Rajiv served as a Co-Chief Executive Officer (from July 2014) and Chief Investment Officer and Head of Equities (from February 2002) at Vontobel Asset Management. He was the sole portfolio manager of the International Equities strategy (since 2002) and Emerging Markets Equities strategy (since 1997), and the lead portfolio manager for the Global Equities strategy (since 2002).

Rajiv helped build the business from less than US$400 million under management to just under US$50 billion in 2016. He joined Vontobel Asset Management as a co-portfolio manager of Emerging Markets Equities and International Equities in November 1994.

Prior to that, he was an International Equity Analyst at Swiss Bank Corporation.

Rajiv earned an MBA in Finance and International Business from the University of Miami. He also has a master’s degree from the University of Ajmer and an undergraduate degree in accounting with honors.

In this #FundManagerChat podcast, Ben Constable-Maxwell, head of sustainable and impact investing at M&G Investments, shares his views on the increasing prominence that ESG, impact and responsible investing is taking on for investors and fund managers.

Ben examines some of the challenges that fund managers face, particularly in quantifying and measuring criteria, and he outlines the key issues that groups should be prioritizing.

Ben also considers some of the myths around ESG investing, how the Covid-19 crisis is giving prominence to these factors and what success looks like for an ESG-conscious fund manager.

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Ben Constable-Maxwell is chatting remotely with Jake Moeller, Head of Lipper UK and Ireland Research at Refinitiv, on May 5, 2020.

About Ben Constable-Maxwell

Ben Constable-Maxwell Ben Constable Maxwell joined M&G Investments in 2003 as an investment specialist and is now Head of Sustainable and Impact Investing.

Ben leads on impact for the M&G Positive Impact Fund alongside fund manager John William Olsen. Ben has been central to the development of ESG integration within M&G’s investment processes and has supported the development of ESG solutions for clients across asset classes.

He is a founding member of M&G’s Responsible Investment Advisory Forum, overseeing ESG-related activities at M&G, and is a member of the Investment Association’s Sustainability & Responsible Investment Committee, chairing the working group on non-financial disclosures.

Previous to M&G, Ben spent four years with the Equities team at Invesco Perpetual. He graduated from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne with an Honours Degree in Classics.

In this wide-ranging #FundManagerChat podcast, Keith Skeoch, CEO of Standard Life Aberdeen Plc, [SLA.L] discusses the impacts of the unfolding Covid-19 crisis on investments, the economy, companies and society.

Keith considers the human elements of the crisis, and examines how it is driving changes to the way that investment firms and the industry, might operate in the future.

Keith also provides a market and economic overview, reviews the policy responses to the crisis and considers what opportunities might present themselves for investors and fund management companies as the crisis recedes.

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Keith Skeoch is chatting with Jake Moeller, Head of Lipper UK and Ireland Research at Refinitiv, remotely from Edinburgh on April 29, 2020.  

About Keith Skeoch

Keith Skeoch is Chief Executive of Standard Life Aberdeen plc,

Keith started his career in 1979 at the Government Economic Service. He moved into financial services in 1980 with James Capel (HSBC Securities from 1996), where he was latterly Managing Director of International Equities.

He joined Standard Life Investments in 1999 as Chief Investment Officer, before becoming Chief Executive of that division in 2004. In 2015 he was appointed Chief Executive of Standard Life plc, having been a board member since 2006, and led the merger with Aberdeen Asset Management in 2017. He was named as sole CEO of Standard Life Aberdeen in 2019.

Keith has held a number of key industry appointments. He is currently a board member of the Financial Reporting Council and Deputy Chair of the Investment Association.

In recognition of his wider contribution to the financial services industry – particularly his work in response to the global financial crisis – Keith has been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Sussex and Teesside University. For his services to the economics profession, he has been named a Fellow of the Society of Business Economists.

Keith is also a Trustee of the Edinburgh International Festival.

In this #FundManagerChat, James Lynch, Manager of the Downing Monthly Income Fund, discusses how he finds the opportunities to source reliable dividend income from smaller companies stocks.

He outlines the process and philosophy he has adopted and examines his recent performance outcomes. He also outlines his current portfolio positioning and discusses some of the difficulties and opportunities that are presented in the unfolding Covid-19 drama.

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James Lynch is chatting remotely with Jake Moeller, Head of Lipper UK and Ireland Research at Refinitiv, on April 21, 2020.

About James Lynch 

James joined Downing in February 2012 as part of the Private Equity team, gaining transaction experience in the SME space across a range of industries before transferring to Downing Public Equity in 2013.

Prior to Downing, James worked within the asset management division of Ernst & Young after specialising in smaller companies at HW Fisher & Company.

James manages the MI Downing Monthly Income Fund and co-manages the Downing Strategic Micro-Cap Investment Trust.

James is a CFA Charterholder, Chartered Accountant (ACA) and holds the Investment Management Certificate.

In this #FundManagerChat, Matthew Beddall, CEO of UK-based fund boutique, Havelock London, and manager of the LF Havelock Global Select Fund discusses the challenges of managing money during the unfolding Covid-19 crisis.

Matthew outlines whether traditional style-biases and valuation metrics matter in the current volatility. He addresses recent performance and reveals the major considerations he is seeking in his stocks as the crisis continues.

This is the quarterly newsletter referred to in this podcast can be found via this link.

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Matthew is chatting with Jake Moeller, Head of Lipper UK and Ireland Research at Refinitiv, in London on April 7, 2020.

About Matthew Beddall 

[caption id="attachment_74982" align="alignleft" width="281"] Matthew Beddall, CEO - Havelock London.[/caption]

Matthew is the CEO and co-founder of Havelock London. He worked at Winton for 17 years, eight of which he served as Chief Investment Officer. As CIO, he had responsibility for overseeing all of the firm's investment activities, including for the flagship Winton Futures Fund.

During his tenure, Winton grew to have $32 billion in assets making it one of the largest hedge funds in Europe. He also sat on the Board as a Director, and on the Executive Committee.

Matthew previously graduated with a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science, and went on to earn a Master’s degree in Applied Statistics.

He combines a long-standing personal interest in value investing with extensive professional experience in systematic funds, leaving him with a firm set of views as to how best to manage savings and investments – all of which he has applied to his own money.

On March 26, 2020, BNY Mellon announced that Nick Clay, one of the UK's best known equity income fund managers will be leaving the organisation. He is leaving with a number of his team to join a competitor. Mr. Clay currently runs the £5.2 billion (as at March 26, 2020) BNY Mellon Global Income Fund.

In this podcast, Ilga Haubelt, recently appointed Head of Equity Income at Newton and Jon Bell, co-fund manager of the BNY Mellon Global Income Fund,  outline how they intend to mitigate the potential impact of these departures.

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Ilga and Jon are chatting with Jake Moeller, remotely on April 1, 2020.

About Ilga Haubelt

Ilga is the investment leader of the Newton Equity Income team. She joined Newton in 2019 to head up the firm’s equity opportunities team, becoming Head of Equity Income in March 2020. She is part of the management team for Newton’s global equity income strategy.

Prior to joining Newton, Ilga was head of Global Equities at Deka Investments, where she oversaw a team of more than 20 portfolio managers with €15bn of assets under management. She was also the lead manager of Deka’s global equity income fund.

Before joining Deka Investments, Ilga was a portfolio manager and research analyst at Union Investment, where she was lead manager of a North American generalist equities fund, a REIT, and a global listed real estate equities fund. Ilga began her asset management career with Munich Ergo Asset Management (MEAG) as a real estate specialist.

About Jon Bell

Jon is a portfolio manager in the BNY Mellon equity income team. Through his 24 years at Newton, Jon has led both the Global Equity and Multi-Asset teams and been responsible for a number of multi-asset and global equity portfolios. As well as his extensive investment roles at the firm, he has also spent time as a member of the commercial team involved in discussing client portfolios and tailoring strategies to client requirements.

Jon sits on Newton’s investment oversight and product and commercial committees and its investment risk oversight groups. He joins the Equity income team from March 2020, where he will focus on Newton’s global equity income strategy.

Jon joined Newton in 1995 and has a degree in natural sciences from Cambridge University.

In this podcast, Shamik Dhar, Chief Economist at BNY Mellon IM outlines the potential broad economic implications of the unfolding Coronavirus crisis.

Within the context of this unfolding "human tragedy", Shamik considers the buy- and sell-side effects of this shock, outlines the efficacy of policy responses and assesses the potential impact the crisis might have on long-established economic theories and relationships.

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Shamik is chatting with Jake Moeller, remotely on March 16, 2020.

About Shamik Dhar

[caption id="attachment_78811" align="alignleft" width="225"] Shamik Dhar, BNY Mellon IM.[/caption]

Shamik Dhar is the Chief Economist at BNY Mellon IM and acts as the primary spokesperson for BNY Mellon IM on matters relating to global macroeconomics, geopolitics and capital markets.

Shamik most recently served as Chief Economist and Director for Economics for the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 2014. He has 30 years of experience as an economist, advising investors and governments on market activity, trends and economic indicators.

He started in the UK Treasury in the late 1980s, moving on in the 1990s to Oxford Economic Forecasting and the Bank of England. In 2000, he moved to Morley Fund Management, then in 2004 co-founded Fathom Consulting, a leading economics consultancy, before moving back into asset management with Aviva Investors in 2009.

In this #FundManagerChat podcast, Juan Valenzuela, co-manager of the Artemis Target Return Bond Fund, introduces this recent launch from Artemis and outlines the case for fixed income securities.

Juan discusses the philosophy the fund, outlines the positioning of his portfolio and shares his views on the broader economic factors that are currently influencing fixed income markets.

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Juan Valenzuela is chatting with Jake Moeller, Head of Lipper UK and Ireland Research at Refinitiv, in London on February 12, 2020.

About Juan Valenzuela

Juan has degrees in both Law and Business from Carlos III University in Madrid. He began his career in 2003 at JP Morgan in Edinburgh. He joined SWIP in 2006 to manage several mandates, including its Absolute Return Bond Fund.

Juan went next to Alliance Trust, where from 2012 he helped launch and then co-managed the Dynamic Bond Fund. Before joining Artemis in February 2019, Juan worked from 2015 at Kames Capital, where he co-managed Kames’ Strategic (onshore and global) Bond Funds, LBPAM Kames Absolute Return Bond Fund and Core Plus Fund.

Juan is a CFA charterholder.

In this #FundManagerChat podcast, Maria Municchi, portfolio manager within the Multi-Asset team at M&G, shares her thoughts on the key drivers influencing her portfolio construction as we move into 2020.

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Maria Municchi is chatting with Jake Moeller, Head of Lipper UK and Ireland Research at Refinitiv, in London on December 17, 2019.

About Maria Municchi

Maria Municchi joined M&G in 2009 and is a member of the Multi Asset team and the Positive Impact team. She is the fund manager of the M&G Sustainable Multi Asset Fund and also deputy fund manager of the M&G Episode Income Fund.

Before joining M&G, Maria worked at Barings and UBS Asset Management. She has an MSc in international management and finance and is a CFA charterholder.

In this #FundManagerChat podcast, Justin Onuekwusi, Fund Manager and Head of Retail Multi-Asset Funds at LGIM and Darren Johnson, Chief Operating Officer – Listed Equites, Impax Asset Management outline the #Talkaboutblack initiative within the asset management industry and discuss where it fits within other diversity and inclusion initiatives.

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Darren Johnson and Justin Onuekwusi are chatting with Jake Moeller, Head of Lipper UK and Ireland Research at Refinitiv, in London on December 11, 2019.

About Darren Johnson

Darren’s mutual and hedge fund career began in 1999. Darren joined Impax Asset Management in 2007 to launch an Equity Long/Short Fund. Since then Darren has performed senior leadership roles within the firm and is currently Chief Operating Officer – Listed Equites.  In 2019 Darren was appoint Director of Impax Asset Management Irish subsidiary.

Before joining Impax in 2007, Darren was Head of Operations at Talisman Global Asset Management, a family office specialising in investing into Fund of Hedge Funds and Private Equity. Prior to that Darren work in various leadership roles in accounting and global operational at AXA IM, Legal & General, and RAB Capital.

About Justin Onuekwusi

Justin is Head of Retail Multi-Asset Funds at LGIM and a member of the Asset Allocation team which manages over £50 billion for pension schemes and savers throughout the world. He leads on the management of the team's retail and risk-profiled multi-asset funds managing the award-winning Multi-Index Funds.

Justin co-chairs the Legal & General Inclusion Team (LEGIT), which aims to create a culture that supports all of LGIM through networks and events across five key areas: leadership engagement, talent attraction and development, leadership development, marketing and communications and community engagement. Externally, Justin is an adviser to the board of City Hive Ltd, which focuses on driving diversity initiatives throughout the asset management industry.

In addition, he sits on the ethnicity workstream of the industry-wide Diversity Project forming part of the steering committee of the movement #talkaboutblack, which focuses on creating more black senior leaders in the asset management industry and beyond as well as addressing the taboo that surrounds conversations about ethnicity. Justin is a CFA charterholder, featured on the 2019 EMpower Senior Executive Leaders List and is finalist for the 2019 Black British Business Awards (Financial Services)

At the recent Lipper Expert Forum 2019 held in London, Andrew Milligan, Head of Global  Strategy at Aberdeen Standard Investments, sat on our macro-economic outlook panel.

We caught up with Andrew after Expert Forum in this short "vox pop" video. Here he reviews the key economic factors of 2019 and outlines the investment strategies which worked well (and not so well) during the year.

Andrew also provides his views on what might influence markets in 2020 and gives an overview explaining Aberdeen Standard Investments's portfolio positioning.

About Andrew Milligan

Andrew Milligan OBE joined Standard Life Investments (now Aberdeen Standard Investments) in 2000 as Global Investment Strategist before being appointed Head of Global Strategy in January 2001. Prior to that, he was employed by HM Treasury, followed by Lloyds Bank where he was an Economic Adviser, and Smith New Court as an International Economist. In 1994, he was appointed Chief Economist with New Japan Securities Europe. He then moved to Morley Fund Management (now Aviva Investors) in 1996 to take up the position of Director of Economic Research & Business Risk.

In this #FundManagerChat podcast, Robert Almeida, Global Investment Strategist at MFS, and lead manager of the MFS Meridian Funds-Diversified Income Fund gives a thorough overview and outlook for the state of global investment markets.

Robert also outlines how he is positioned in his portfolio, where he is finding opportunities for income investors, and reveals his thoughts on some of the head and tailwinds which confront investors at the present time.

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Robert Almeida is chatting with Jake Moeller, Head of Lipper UK and Ireland Research at Refinitiv, in London on November 19, 2019.

About Robert Almeida

Robert Almeida is an investment officer and global investment strategist for MFS Investment Management® (MFS®), offering insight and perspective on cyclical and secular trends impacting investors. He serves as lead portfolio manager on multi‐asset income and alternative strategies and is a member of MFS' Fixed Income Strategy and Fixed Income Risk and Opportunities groups.

Rob joined MFS in 1999 and served as an institutional portfolio manager for the Fixed Income Department from 2007 through 2009. He joined the US Growth Equity team in 2009 and became a portfolio manager in 2014. He added additional portfolio management responsibilities in 2018 and assumed his current strategist title in 2019.

Rob is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and earned his Master of Science degree in finance from the Sawyer Business School.

In this #FundManagerChat podcast, Dr. Ian Mortimer and Matthew Page, co-manager of the Guinness Global Innovators Fund outlines how changing trends in corporate innovation are driving opportunities in the equities market.

They examine the types of firms and industries which are driving intellectual change and how these themes manifest into consistent earnings as well as growth opportunities. They outline the current positioning of their portfolio, explain how they restrict their investment universe and the also provide a general outlook for the market.

They also provide an overview of how ESG criteria fit into their investment process.

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Dr. Ian Mortimer and Matthew Page are chatting with Jake Moeller, Head of Lipper UK and Ireland Research at Refinitiv, in London on November 18, 2019.

About Dr. Ian Mortimer

Ian joined Guinness Asset Management in December 2006. He completed a Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Physics at the Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford in 2006, after graduating from University College London in 2003 with a First Class Honours Master of Science degree in Physics.

Ian has completed the IMC and is a CFA charterholder.

About Matthew Page

Matthew joined Guinness Asset Management in September 2005. Previously, he joined Goldman Sachs on the Graduate scheme working in Foreign Exchange and then Fixed Income. Matthew graduated from Oxford University in 2004 with a Master’s degree in Physics.

Matthew has completed the IMC and is a CFA charterholder.

In this #FundManagerChat podcast, Egbert Nijmeijer from Kempen and co-manager of the Kempen Global Listed Real Estate Fund outlines the case for global listed real estate companies.

Egbert provides an overview of the asset class and outlines the benefits it can bring to an investor portfolio. He discusses where he and the Kempen team are finding opportunities in global listed real estate equities and areas that he is avoiding. He also outlines how he incorporates ESG into his portfolio and how this has impacted some of his stock selection.

Egbert also provides an outlook for the asset class outlining some of the medium term head and tailwinds.

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Egbert is chatting with Jake Moeller, Head of Lipper UK and Ireland Research at Refinitiv, in London on October 15, 2019.

About Egbert Nijmeijer

Egbert Nijmeijer joined Kempen in 2011 as a Senior Portfolio Manager. Prior to this, Egbert worked for the development finance department of Bouwfonds and as an Asset Manager at a residential corporation. In these roles, he gained experience with the Direct Real Estate Market. He began his career in 2000 at Robeco as Portfolio Manager, where he managed equity portfolios for 6 years.

Egbert holds a Masters in Industrial Engineering & Management specialising in civil engineering. He completed the Real Estate management programme of Harvard Business School. He currently coordinates the Harvard / Kempen shared Real Estate research projects.

Egbert is a member of the US retail council at  Urban Land Institute (ULI). At ULI Egbert is also part of the Editorial Board for ULI’s Emerging Markets Trends research, and holds a position in the Content Advisory Group advising ULI on their direction of research efforts.

What ETF facts do traditional fund managers need to know about the ETF market?

On July 3, 2019, Refinitiv hosted the inaugural Refintiv ETF Academy at Canary Wharf.

In this video, Nik Bienkowski, co-CEO and co-founder of HANetf, took to the stage to present on “ETFs in Europe – Launching, Competing and Winning – What Traditional Managers Need to Know.”

Bienkowski highlighted that creating an ETF offering is high priority for most asset managers, but he also made clear that it is easier said than done.

He also examined why asset managers can’t afford to miss the opportunity that ETFs offer, showed the impediments to success, and the strategies needed to win.

Bienkowski summarized that it is still not too late for fund providers to formulate their own ETF strategies if they don’t already have one. Even if the strategy is “do nothing now,” it is better than nothing, he said.

Refinitiv is grateful to the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment for sharing its footage of this event.

About Nik Bienkowski 

Nik is a veteran of the ETF industry, joining Gold Bullion Securities, a provider of the world’s first gold ETF, as Head of Institutional Investment in 2002.

In 2005, Nik helped found ETF Securities. In 2011, Nik founded Boost ETP with Hector which, in 2014, became WisdomTree Europe with Nik as co-CEO.

Following the buyout of Boost ETP by WisdomTree Europe in 2016, Nik stepped down as co-CEO to establish HANetf, with business partner Hector McNeil.

On July 3, 2019, Refinitiv hosted the fifth Annual Lipper Fund Selector Forum at Canary Wharf. The second final panel of the morning was "The Diversity Dividend."

The funds management industry has often been indicted as suffering from a lack of diversity in its workforce. This panel looked at the issues behind this charge and what is being done to address this issue.

The panel discussed the various initiatives that the asset management industry is undertaking to improve diversity and outlined how improved levels of workplace diversity benefit shareholders and result in a more effective workplace - the diversity dividend.

The panelists were:

• Bev Shah - Founder and CEO, CityHive
• Selina Tyler - Head of UK Wholesale, Mirabaud Asset Management
• Abbie Llewellyn-Waters - Fund Manager, Jupiter Asset Management

In this video of the session, Jake Moeller, head of Lipper UK & Ireland Research at Refinitiv moderates the panel

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Refinitiv is grateful to the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment for sharing its footage of this event.

About Bev Shah 

Bhavini ‘Bev’ Shah is Founder and CEO of City Hive – A Network for Change.

Prior to founding City Hive in 2016, Bev gained more than 15 years' investment experience in the City at some of the world's largest financial institutions.

Bev is passionate about empowering the investment and asset management sector to forge a more equitable and inclusive culture. She passionately believes in the value of diverse thought and experience in rebuilding trust in financial services and enhancing investment performance.

Bev is a media commentator on topics of gender equality and all aspects of diversity in the investment sector.”

About Selina Tyler

Selina joined Mirabaud Asset Management in November 2018 as Head of UK Wholesale. She leads the firm's coverage of wealth managers, fund of funds and financial institutions in the UK and Ireland.

Prior to joining Mirabaud, she was Director - UK Wholesale for Hermes Investment Management, for six years, and also worked at Man GLG for five years through 2012, covering Global Banking relationships.

Selina has over 15 years of experience within financial services, fulfilling client service, relationship management and sales roles.

She is a holder of the Investment Management Certificate and is a winner of the WeAreTheCity Rising Star Award in Sales in 2017.

About Abbie Llewellyn-Waters

Abbie Llewellyn-Waters joined Jupiter in 2006 and is a global equities fund manager in the Environment and Sustainability team. She has been a lead manager of institutional funds since 2012.

Abbie was previously co-manager of the multi-asset Jupiter Global Ecology Diversified Fund and was an integral member of the fund management team for the Jupiter Ecology Fund, the Jupiter Global Ecology Growth Fund and the Jupiter Green Investment Trust PLC for over 10 years.

In 2017, Abbie was awarded both Fund Manager of the Year and Investment Woman of the Year at Investment Week’s inaugural Women in Investment Awards.

Abbie is also a contributing member of several industry initiatives: for example, she is an Ambassador for the Diversity Project and a member of the 30% Club UK Investor Group.

She has a degree in Classics from University College, London.

At the recent Lipper Fund Selector Forum 2019 held in London, Chris Welsford, Managing Director and founder of wealth manager, Ayres Punchard, sat on the "ESG and the Fund Distribution Chain" panel.

We caught up with Chris after event in this short "vox pop" video where he outlined some of his key considerations in assessing and selecting funds and building portfolios on an ESG basis. He also outlined his views on the key difference between "ethical" and ESG investing.

The full video of the panel can be watched here.

About Chris Welsford

Chris joined the UK’s first execution-only share-dealing service, Sharelink, as a Client Account Manager in 1987 . He then worked in IT accountancy sales before joining one of the last Canadian mutual life insurance companies, Confederation Life in 1992 as a life Underwriter. In 1993 he joined Laurentian Mildon as a financial adviser and Mentor for their fees based financial planning service.

He established Ayres Punchard in 1995 specialising in fees based advice and ethical investing, which remains a core value and a strong part of the investment process employed today. Chris believes that there is firm evidence to show that by taking Environmental, Social and Governance factors into account, when analysing investment funds and constructing portfolios, more sustainable investment outcomes can be achieved.

Chris is a graduate of the University of Southampton (1986) with a B.Sc Hons in Social Sciences Politics., holds the IMC (Investment Management Certificate) and is an IMC member of the Chartered Financial Analysts Society of the UK.

He is also a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment.

On July 3, 2019, Refinitiv hosted the fifth Annual Lipper Fund Selector Forum at Canary Wharf. The final panel of the morning was "ESG and the Fund Distribution Value Chain."

The panel considered the influence of ESG throughout the mutual fund value chain from product manufacturer, gatekeeper, and fund distributor. It outlined how ESG criteria are able to add value for end investors without compromising potential returns.

The panelists were:

• Mona Shah, Director – Investment Strategy & Research, Stonehage Fleming
• Chris Welsford – Managing Director, Ayres Punchard Investment Management
• Craig Bonthron – Equities Investment Manager, Kames Capital

In this video of the session, Jake Moeller, head of Lipper UK & Ireland Research at Refinitiv moderates the panel

Refinitiv is grateful to the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment for sharing their footage of this event.

About Mona Shah 

Mona Shah is Director of Investment Strategy & Research at Stonehage Fleming in London and joined the firm in September 2018.

Mona is responsible for the selection of review of fund managers for its multi-asset portfolios and also sits on the Stonehage Fleming investment committee.

Prior to joining Stonehage Fleming, Mona was Head of Collectives and a senior research analyst on the Rathbone Multi-Asset Portfolios team which she joined after her graduation in 2007.

Mona holds a first class degree in Economics and Politics from the University of Bristol and is a CFA charter holder.

About Chris Welsford

Chris Welsford is an Independent Financial Adviser and Investment Adviser is a graduate of the University of Southampton (1986) with a B.Sc Hons in Social Sciences Politics.

He joined the UK’s first execution-only share-dealing service, Sharelink, as a Client Account Manager in 1987 and established Ayres Punchard in 1995 which specializes in fees-based advice and ethical investing.

In 2018 Ayres Punchard became a Worthstone SIA Impact Champion in recognition of the firm’s innovative approach to ESG, sustainable and impact  investing.

Chris is an IMC member of the Chartered Financial Analysts Society of the UK. He is also a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment.

About Craig Bonthron

Craig Bonthron is an investment manager in the equities team at Kames Capital, responsible for actively co-managing high conviction global equity portfolios. He focuses on analysing disruptive and sustainable investment trends within the technology, healthcare, industrial and consumer sectors.

Craig is also the co-creator of the Kames Sustainability Soapbox, a weekly forum for discussing the alpha potential of sustainable investments.

He joined Kames in 2014 from SWIP, where he was an investment director in global equities. He co-managed both the Halifax Global Ethical Equity fund and the SWIP Global Islamic Equity fund for more than three years.

Prior to SWIP, he was a portfolio manager at Kleinwort Benson Investors, where he co-managed the Global Water Equity fund.

At the recent Lipper Fund Selector Forum 2019 held in London, Richard Philbin, CIO of Wellian Investment Solutions, sat on the "Future of Fund Selection" panel.

We caught up with Richard after event in this short "vox pop" video where he outlined some of his consideration in choosing funds for his clients. He also outlined his sell discipline and explains how he goes about building portfolios for his clients.

About Richard Philbin

Richard is one of the UKs best known Multi-Manager investors and has previously been AA rated by OBSR, Citywire and S&P.

Before joining Wellian, Richard was formerly the Chief Investment Officer at AXA Architas Multi-Manager where he helped them to grow with assets of over £7bn, and before that he was Head of Multi-Manager at F&C Investments where he launched the LifeStyle range of funds and grew assets to over £1bn during his tenure.

In this #FundManagerChat podcast, Keith Skeoch, CEO of Standard Life Aberdeen Plc, [SLA.L] discusses a wide range of issues currently influencing its business.

Keith addresses the fund outflows and performance issues outlined SLA's recent half-year results and discusses the elements of its core business which are performing well.

Keith also discusses the blend of SLA's business and how core and other listed assets are influencing key strategic decision making.

Additionally, this interview covers the subjects of fee compression, cost cutting, geopolitical risks as well as some of the key opportunities Keith sees for fund firms in the near term.

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Keith Skeoch is chatting with Jake Moeller, Head of Lipper UK and Ireland Research at Refinitiv, in London on August 29, 2019.  

About Keith Skeoch

Keith Skeoch is Chief Executive of Standard Life Aberdeen plc, which oversees £577bn* of assets for clients.

Keith started his career in 1979 at the Government Economic Service. He moved into financial services in 1980 with James Capel (HSBC Securities from 1996), where he was latterly Managing Director of International Equities.

He joined Standard Life Investments in 1999 as Chief Investment Officer, before becoming Chief Executive of that division in 2004. In 2015 he was appointed Chief Executive of Standard Life plc, having been a board member since 2006, and led the merger with Aberdeen Asset Management in 2017. He was named as sole CEO of Standard Life Aberdeen in 2019.

Keith has held a number of key industry appointments. He is currently a board member of the Financial Reporting Council and Deputy Chair of the Investment Association.

In recognition of his wider contribution to the financial services industry – particularly his work in response to the global financial crisis – Keith has been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Sussex and Teesside University. For his services to the economics profession, he has been named a Fellow of the Society of Business Economists.

Keith is also a Trustee of the Edinburgh International Festival.