Sanford Deland Asset Management (SDL) has hired WH Ireland’s deputy head of institutional research as its chief analyst.
Eric Burns (pictured) will join the firm on 1 January. He has been an equity analyst with WH Ireland for more than 10 years.
Burns will work with the Sanford Deland investment team, leading the stock research analysis for the £1.2bn Buffettology and £7.3m Free Spirit funds.
Reunited with Ashworth-Lord
Sanford Deland founder and chief investment officer Keith Ashworth-Lord previously worked with Burns at WH Ireland as a consultant equity analyst between 2006 and 2010.
He said: “Having worked with Eric in the past, I am confident that he is a highly capable practitioner of the business perspective investing process adopted by SDL. Eric is a strong addition to the SDL investment team and we extend a warm welcome to him.”
In March the firm hired Alex Brotherston from Franklin Templeton as chief executive to allow Ashworth-Lord to step back from his managing director duties to focus on running the Buffettology fund as chief investment officer.
Brotherston said: “I am delighted to have someone of Eric’s calibre joining the team at such a pivotal time as we continue to strengthen our investment capabilities at SDL, and build out the business as a whole.”
The hire follows the recent departure of Free Sprit fund manager Rosemary Banyard for personal reasons just months shy of the fund reaching its three-year track record.
Buffettology has returned 10%, 63% and 122% over one, three and five years, respectively, versus the IA UK All Companies sector’s 7.3%, 23% and 39%, according to FE Fundinfo data. The Free Spirit fund has returned 9.1% over one year compared with the IA UK All Companies’ 7.3%.
SDL is also looking to launch a global version of the Buffettology fund.
