Columbia Threadneedle has announced £2bn high yield manager Barrie Whitman is retiring at the end of the year with Roman Gaiser to succeed him as head of high yield.
Whitman is co-manager on the £769.67m High Yield Bond fund, which he launched in 1999, and lead manager of the Luxembourg-domiciled €1.7bn Credit Opportunities fund. Gaiser will take over on both funds.
He will remain at the US asset manager until the end of the year during which time an additional analyst will be recruited for the existing eight person team.
Threadneedle High Yield Bond performance
| 1yr | 3yr | 5yr | 10yr | |
| Threadneedle High Yield Bond | 6.53 | 18.40 | 23.46 | 108.21 |
| IA Sterling High Yield sector | 5.18 | 16.71 | 17.69 | 103.86 |
| ICE BAML Euro High Yield Constrained Excluding Subordinated Financials Hedge GBP | 6.20 | 19.62 | 27.24 | 153.78 |
Source: FE Analytics
Gaiser originally worked with Whitman as a manager in the European high yield team from 2005 to 2011. He then worked at Pictet Asset Management as head of high yield before rejoining Columbia Threadneedle in July last year.
Reflecting on the two decades he has spent with the firm, Whitman said: “It has been rewarding to see the business grow into a global entity with a clear focus on maintaining our unique investment approach and environment that revolves around the sharing of ideas and fostering debate and collaboration among investors across asset classes.”
Columbia Threadneedle’s European high yield team is responsible for £4bn assets under management.
