Royal London Asset Management (RLAM) has hired Janus Henderson’s George Crowdy to co-manage a new fund in its £4.4bn sustainable range.
Crowdy (pictured) has been hired to manage the Global Sustainable Equity fund alongside RLAM head of sustainable investments Mike Fox. Crowdy previously spent 10 years at Janus Henderson where he was a member of its Global Sustainable Equity team.
The fund will invest in a concentrated portfolio of 30 to 50 sustainable stocks from around the world. It will be benchmarked against the MSCI All Countries World Net Total Return index GBP, which includes emerging markets.
The Global Sustainable Equity Fund joins the £1.1bn Sustainable Leaders Trust, the £1bn Sustainable World Trust and the £1.2bn Sustainable Diversified Trust in RLAM’s stable, all of which are managed by Fox.
Tilney managing director Jason Hollands said with ESG funds very much in vogue it is unsurprising that RLAM wants to build out its sustainable product range.
“The new fund is essentially a higher octane, much more concentrated portfolio than the existing, highly diversified Royal London Sustainable World Trust which has a decent record,” he added.
Fox has led the sustainable team since 2003, when the funds were part of the The Co-operative Asset Management (TCAM). RLAM acquired TCAM in 2013.
Willis Owen head of personal investing Adrian Lowcock said Mike Fox has a huge amount of experience in sustainable and ESG investing.
“The fact they are attracting managers from other sustainable teams also suggests they have a strong reputation in the area and are investing to support its growth.”
For inclusion in RLAM’s sustainable funds, companies must meet one of two criteria: they must provide products and services that benefit society or be a leader in ESG compared with their peers.
Fox said: “The new fund is a natural evolution of our sustainable proposition and will enable us to widen the universe of companies that we can invest in, to include emerging markets too. This will not only allow us to uncover new gems, but will also encourage companies around the world to improve their environmental, social and governance standards.”
