Axa Investment Managers has recruited Impax’s Chris Eccles to its Axa IM Equity Healthcare division, where he will serve as portfolio manager for the Axa Framlington Health fund.
Eccles will manage the fund in partnership with portfolio manager Cinney Zhang, who has been at Axa since 2021 and also manages the Framlington Biotech fund. The duo will report to head of global thematic strategies Tom Riley.
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Eccles began his career at Morgan Stanley in 2011, followed by Kola Capital and Stifel, where he specialised in healthcare for over four years. In total, Eccles holds over 12 years of experience in global healthcare markets.
Jeroen Bos, global head of Axa IM Equity, said: “We are delighted to welcome Chris Eccles to Axa IM Equity. We have been looking to hire additional resource to our Healthcare team for a while, and Chris was a perfect fit to reinforce the team and assist Cinney in the management of our 36-year-old UK-domiciled Health fund.
“As a responsible asset manager that actively invests for the long term to help our clients, people, and the world to prosper, we were particularly attracted to Chris’ expertise in sustainable investment strategies.”
Axa manages near €842bn (£730.6bn) in assets as of the end of September, and €489bn (£424.3bn) in assets which fall under the umbrellas of ESG-integrated, sustainable, and impact assets as of the end of last year.
John Stainsby, head of core client group UK, said: “Axa IM Equity has a long history and heritage in sector, thematic, and listed impact equity investing and is committed to continue to grow and develop these areas.
“Over the past years, we have seen significant growth in assets and product range in the space and continue to grow the investment teams accordingly. We remain absolutely committed to providing a wide variety of solutions to our UK client base.”
