CEO, John Ions, highlighted the improved sales and marketing as a key driver for the growth, that saw assets under management grow 6% to £3.8bn over the six months to end September and to £4.2bn by November 7. This in a market that saw retail sales across the industry fall to their lowest levels since January 2013.
Much of the growth so far in the third quarter, stemmed from the award of a £314m UK equity income segregated mandate that was granted to the its macro-thematic team and was funded in October.
This team joins its economic advantage team in managing more than £1bn in assets across the funds and mandates they run, Liontrust said.
Ions added: “We continue to develop our strong distribution platform and will have implemented a new CRM system and website by the end of the year. This will enables us to improve still further the high standards of customer service we have set ourselves including through more personalised communications to clients.”
Part of the changes made were the reorganisation of the UK distribution team. During the period, Simon Hildrey became responsible for the sales and marketing strategy, Ions said: “to ensure we have complete alignment across distribution.
“We have also recruited James Beddall to work alongside Jonathan Hughes-Morgan as Co-Head of International Sales. All these developments give me great confidence about continued progress during the second half of our financial year,” he added.
The group has also expanded its focus internationally, Chairman Adrian Collins said, in a bid to significantly broaden its potential client base, but added that the group’s brand awareness remains strong within the UK.
That being said, Collins did warn that the increasing economic, market and political uncertainty has the potential to unsettle investors.
Financials
Over the quarter, revenues were up 17% compared to the same period last year, while adjusted diluted earnings per share grew from 7 pence per share to 9 pence per share.
