Crux Asset Management’s Jamie Ward (pictured) has joined AJ Bell as head of investment solutions.
Ward has been tasked with helping to grow AJ Bell’s investment business, which includes its managed portfolio service and range of multi-asset funds.
He started his career at Brown Shipley, before moving to Investec and then Wolos Capital. He joined Crux Asset Management in December 2014 where he managed the Crux UK Core fund.
Kevin Doran, managing director of AJ Bell Investments, said: “Jamie and I have kept in touch since we worked together at Brown Shipley. He has a wealth of experience in running multi-asset portfolios and will play a key role in ensuring we continue to deliver a wide choice of investment solutions with low costs and clear communications.”
More than a name change needed
Ward’s departure from Crux came two years after his long-only equity fund was rebranded in an attempt to give it greater mainstream appeal and help differentiate it from the small and mid-cap approach favoured by Crux-founder Richard Pease.
At the time of the rebranding in December 2019, assets in the fund stood at £68.4m. As of Monday, the fund has shrunk to £50.6m, according to the latest figures on FE Trustnet, suggesting that efforts to reposition it have not been successful.
Ward stepped down as manager of the fund in November 2021, replaced by Richard Penny, who also runs the Crux UK Special Situations fund.
