Kames Capital has hired two senior high yield experts as it continues to rebuild its fixed income team.
Thomas Hanson has joined the Edinburgh-based team as head of high yield and Eleanor Price as a high yield investment analyst.
Hanson will join Mark Benbow as co-manager on the Kames High Yield Bond, High Yield Global Bond and Short Dated High Yield Bond funds.
He replaces Jack Holmes on the funds, who Kames announced has left the business after two and a half years to pursue other opportunities.
Hanson previously worked as a high yield credit portfolio manager at Janus Henderson Investors where he co-managed the Euro High Yield and Global High Yield funds. He has also worked at Aerion Fund Management and Lazard Asset Management.
Price, who has 15 years’ experience in the high yield sector, has joined Kames from Baillie Gifford where she worked as an investment manager in the high yield team with responsibility for generating portfolio ideas for both US and European high yield. She has also worked at Insight Investment and Baring Asset Management.
Kames head of fixed income Adrian Hull (pictured) said: “Both Thomas and Eleanor bring a wealth of investment knowledge to the high yield team with over 40 years’ experience between them. Kames has a long history of excellence in the high yield space and this is an ideal opportunity for Thomas to take the next step in his career development and lead the high yield team as we look to strengthen our franchise and to continue to demonstrate this expertise within the sector.
“Finally, I would like to welcome both Thomas and Eleanor to the business, whilw also thanking Jack for his contribution to the Kames in his short time with us.”
Kames has made six appointments over the past four months as it rebuilds the fixed income team following the departure of four fund managers, including Stephen Snowden and David Ennett, who defected to Artemis in November last year. Just over a year earlier, in August 2017, David Roberts and Philip Milburn exited to join Liontrust.
In March, it hired Jill Shaw and Thomas Dickson from Aberdeen Standard Investments. This followed the appointment of Laurent Frings, also of Aberdeen Standard, in December to head up its credit research operation. Bjorn Norrman joined from Fitch Ratings in March to specialise in credit analysis in the global financial sector across the entire capital structure.
