Royal London Asset Management (RLAM) a annoncé le 11 décembre la nomination de Rob Williams en qualité de responsable de la distribution.Rob Williams, qui devrait prendre ses fonctions le 7 janvier 2013, sera rattaché à Andy Carter, CEO de RLAM. Il aura pour mission de piloter la stratégie de distribution et de promotion de l’offre de Royal London auprès de la clientèle wholesale et institutionnelle. Rob Williams travaillait précédemment chez Skandia Investment Group où il était responsable des activités de distribution et de marketing au niveau mondial.

La société de gestion britannique Newton Investment Management (49 milliards de livres d’encours) a annoncé plusieurs changements pour sa gamme de fonds d’actions britanniques. Ainsi, Richard Wilmot, investment leader pour les actions britanniques et gérant du Newton UK Equity Fund, a été nommé gérant principal du Newton Higher Income Fund. Il remplace Tineke Frikkee, qui négocie actuellement avec la société filiale de BNY Mellon au sujet de son avenir. Le mode de gestion du fonds sera aussi modifié. Par ailleurs, le Newton Cautious Managed Fund sera fusionné dans le Newton Managed Income Fund. De même, plusieurs petits fonds seront fermés : Newton Discovery Fund, Newton Pan-European Fund, BNY Mellon UK Equity, BNY Mellon Sterling Bond et BNY Mellon Continental European Funds.

Karina Litvack, qui quitte son poste en tant que responsable de la gouvernance et de l’investissement durable chez F&C Asset Management à la fin du mois, ne sera pas remplacée, rapporte le Financial Times. «Mon poste n’existe plus», a-t-elle écrit dans une note d’adieux, attribuant le changement aux restructurations conduites par Edward Bramson, l’actionnaire activiste américain devenu président exécutif en octobre dernier.Ses fonctions seront réparties entre plusieurs personnes.

Skandia a ajouté Invesco Perpetual et Artemis à la liste des sociétés de gestion disponibles dans sa gamme de fonds Select qui doit être lancée l’année prochaine, rapporte Fundweb. Les autres sociétés sont : Aberdeen, BlackRock, BNY Mellon, Fidelity, Henderson, JP Morgan, Schroders et Threadneedle. La nouvelle gamme comprendra 50 fonds qui couvriront toutes les grandes classes d’actifs.

Craig Newman, le directeur commercial d’Invesco Perpetual pour le Nord de l’Angleterre, et Simon Dale, sales manager, ont tous les deux quitté la société, rapporte Fundweb.

Newton Investment Management, qui gère 49 milliards de livres à Londres, a remanié sa gamme de fonds actions britanniques, rapporte Financial News. Six petits fonds seront fermés et fusionnés. Dans ce cadre, la gérante Tineke Frikkee est en négociations avec la société au sujet de son avenir.

Les family offices européens viennent d’enregistrer leur plus mauvaise année depuis cinq ans, avec des rendements de 3,6% pour les single family offices et de 2% pour les multi family offices pour les douze mois à fin juin 2012, contre des rendements autour de 8% l’année précédente, selon la cinquième édition de l'étude annuelle de Campden Wealth (1).Ces mauvais résultats seraient à mettre sur le compte d’une surallocation dans le cash et l’immobilier qui ont sous-performé par rapport aux obligations souveraines. Dans ce contexte, les family offices estiment que leurs stratégies d’investissement vont désormais se concentrer sur la préservation du capital.L'étude relève que les multi family offices ont augmenté leur exposition aux marchés émergents à 20% cette année contre 14% en 2011, preuve que, malgré des rendements décevants dans le passé récent, certains family offices ont pris le parti d’accroître leur allocation dans des classes d’actifs plus risquées au cours des trois prochaines années.Pour la première fois depuis la création de cette étude, l’immobilier est devenue la première classe d’actifs chez les single family offices, avec une exposition deux fois plus importante que celle observée chez les multi family offices.L'étude relève également l’attention accrue à la gestion du risque et aux problématiques de gouvernance. Les family offices sont beaucoup plus sensibles aux stratégies de gestion des risques et à la mise en place de procédures de due diligence des opportunités d’investissement externes et des contreparties. Par ailleurs, les comités d’investissement se réunissent plus fréquemment et les family offices ont pris conscience de l’importance de la formation des futures générations à la gestion de fortune.(1) Etude annuelle «Back to business – Family Offices Adapt to the New Normal» réalisée auprès d’une soixantaine de single- et multi-family offices, dont chacun gère des encours compris entre 50 millions d’euros et 1,5 milliard d’euros

Le spécialiste des convertibles Fisch Asset Management a annoncé le 11 décembre le recrutement d’un nouveau spécialiste dans son équipe d’investissement depuis le 1er décembre en la personne d’ Oliver Schmid. La société a engagé le docteur en économie afin de poursuivre le développement du moteur de rendement qu’est l’analyse quantitative, une composante importante du processus de placement. Oliver Schmid était précédemment CIO chez AIM Capital, son parcours incluant aussi Julius Baer et Quantica Capital. Fisch Asset Management souhaite profiter de son expertise en matière de développement et de mise en œuvre de stratégies quantitatives. Il renforcera, en outre, l’équipe de gestion du Trend Navigator Program, qui exploite les signaux de tendances pour investir dans des futures dans le monde entier. Les actifs sous gestion de Fisch AM s'élevaient en septembre dernier à un peu plus de 7 milliards de francs suisses.

Selon les informations de finews, Deutsche Bank (Suisse) va absorber les activités suisses de Sal. Oppenheim pour regrouper sous un même toit ses activités de gestion de fortune et de gestion institutionnelle. Sous réserve des autorisations nécessaires, l’intégration juridique et opérationnelle sera bouclée pour la fin de 2013. Les clients pourront conserver leur conseiller.

The Luxembourg investment fund association (ALFI) on 11 December published a guide to best practices for the domicile and administration of Islamic funds, in order to provide new understanding of the expectations and requirements in this fast-growing market segment.“2012 was a highly active year for the Islamic finance community in Luxembourg, with the launch of several new Sharia-compliant funds. Luxembourg is currently the leader in Europe and number 5 in the world for the number of Islamic funds, with 41 funds and EUR4bn in assets under management,” says Marc Saluzzi, chairman of ALFI, cited in a statement.The ALFI guide to best practices provides detailed information and advice about the legal format, domicile process and fund administration, and asset custody for Islamic funds in Luxembourg. The document also makes recommendations about compliance for Islamic financial instruments with Luxembourg UCITS regulations. This allows service providers who are already active in this area to better meet the expectations of the market and provides advice to new actors about all the aspects to consider.

Henderson Global Investors has acquired a 19,000 square metre property in Bad Dürkheim (Rhineland-Palatinate) for its German Logistics Fund. The sale price has not been disclosed. The logistical complex is leased to Uniwheels.The fund, an institutional product, is the result of a partnership between the real estate division of HGI and Palmira Capital Partner. The performance objective is 8.5% with maximal leverage of 40%.

Sofinnova Partners on 11 December announced that it has closed its venture capital fund Sofinnova Capital VII with EUR240m in assets. Sofinnova Capital VII received subscriptions from top institutional investors, largely pension funds, funds of funds and insurers. These investors include the European Investment Fund, Skandia Life Insurance Company, CNP Assuranes and CDC Entreprises (FSI France Investissement). Sofinnova Capital VII, dedicated entirely to life sciences, is one of the largest venture capital funds in Europe. It will invest seed capital in biopharmaceuticals and medical equipment. Additionally, in the emerging biotech industrials sector, Sofinnova Partners has launched the Sofinnova Green Seed Fund, whose first closing has been held at EUR22.5m, and which includes industrial investors, such as Solvay, Siclaé, Sofiprotéol and Unigrains, along with CDC Entreprises.

Annual management fees for the Carmignac Court Terme fund, which are currently 0.25% of net assets, will be reduced to 0.10% of net assets per year from 1 January 2013.

The German press is reporting that Amundi has released the Amundi Funds Equity Global Minimum Variance sub-fund of its Luxembourg SICAV Amundi Funds in Germany and Austria.The product is part of the Next Generation (NextGen) range, whose assets currently total about EUR1.2bn (see Newsmanagers of 21 November).

Pension funds have EUR38trn in assets, equivalent to 63% of global GDP, IEIF reports. Their potential is particularly strong in real estate investment. “Considering the long-term portfolio reallocation trends for pension funds and the growth of their assets, the investment volumes expected in real estate are about EUR380bn in the next five years,” the IEIF study predicts. Even after 15 years, “the proportion of real estate properties in pension funds will continue to increase,” the study adds. The weight of real estate in pension fund portfolios has increased from 4.9% in 1996 to 7.3% in 2011.In real estate portfolios held by pension funds, office properties represent 27% of total properties, while commercial properties total 19%.

Jennifer B. McHugh, who since 2009 had been senior advisor to outgoing Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairwoman Mary L. Schapiro, and who had served as interim director of the investment management division of the Commission, on 11 December was appointed as senior adviser to Norm Champ, director of the investment management division for questions concerning mutual funds and investment advisers. She will begin in this position on 17 December.McHugh began at the SEC in 1999.

According to reports from finews, Deutsche Bank (Switzerland) will absorb the Swiss activities of Sal. Oppenheim to bring its wealth management and institutional management activities under a single roof. Pending the necessary regulatory approval, legal and operational integration will be completed by the end of 2013. Clients may retain their advisers.

The convertibles specialist Fisch Asset Management on 11 December announced the recruitment of Oliver Schmid as a new specialist for its investment team from 1 December. The firm recruited the doctor of economics in order to continue to develop the drivr of recovery which is quantitative analysis, an important component of the investment process. Schmid was previously CIO of AIM Capital, and has also worked at Julius Baer and Quantica Capital. Fisch Asset Management is hoping to take advantage of its expertise in development and implementation of quantitative strategies. It will also recruit for the management team for the Trend Navigator Program, which exploits signs of trends to invest in futures worldwide. Assets under management at Fisch AM in September this year totalled slightly over CHF7bn.

The Tikehau group has announced the arrival of three new employees at the business. At Tikehau Investment Management (TIM), Etienne Gorgeon, previously CIO Fixed Income at Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management has been appointed chief investment officer for open-ended funds and mandates.Frédéric Sallerin has been recruited as a salesperson for institutional clients. He had previously been responsible for development of distribution to institutional investors at Sparinvest in Paris.At Tikehau Capital Advisors (TCA), Vincent Favier becomes director of stakholdings. Since 2006, he had been CEO in charge of the French office of the Amber Capital company.

BNP Paribas Real Estate on 11 December announced a series of appointments, including Henri Faure, deputy CEO and board member responsible for overseeing Investment Management activities, who will report to david Aubin. He will replace François Benfeghoul, Deputy CEO and board member in charge of all Central functions, from 1 July 2013, as Benfeghoui has decided to retire.

For the fiscal year to 30 September, Hennessy Advisors, Inc has posted net profits of USD0.97m, compared with USD1.21m for the previous year.Mutual fund assets at the end of September totalled USD919.26m, compared with USD749.31m twelve months previously. However, average assets in the period fell to USD823m from USD883m.As of 26 October 2012, Hennessy Advisors has acquired the FBR Funds range, which brings assets under management to USD3.1bn.

ING IM on 11 December announced the recruitment of Philippe Fidaire as director of institutional clients. Fidaire, a specialist in investment solutions for institutional investors who has spent his entire career at Allianz Global Investors, began in his new role on 3 December 2012.Fidaire’s expertise in investment solutions will allow ING IM to develop its solid expertise on the French market. ING IM has “historic” expertise as the asset management firm of the ING insurance group, which includes leading strategies such as emerging market debt, corporate or government, denominated in local or strong currencies. The ING IM Investment Solutions unit now has 116 employees.

After finalising a capital increase of EUR2.5bn on 4 December, Banco Popular has announced that it has recently sold its largest portfolio of sub-prime debt, totalling EUR1.143bn, Cinco Días reports. The buyers are the Lindorff and AnaCap funds. According to financial industry sources, Popular is said to have made a net gain on the deal of EUR35m.The objective of the sales for Banco Popular is to generate a total of EUR300m in gains.

Fundweb reports that Neptune Investment Management on 3 December launched a European version of its Global Long Short sector fund, founded in November 2011. The fund, whose benchmark index is the MSCI Europe ex-UK, is managed by Ted Alexander, who is already manager of the global fund with Robin Geffen. The sectoral strategy is managed by Rob Burnett.

The British Financial Services Authority (FSA) on 11 December sent a letter to asset management firms to warn them anout the risks of outsourcing operational activities, Money Marketing reports. Despite the increasing use of outsourcing operations, the asset management sector has not set up effective resolution and recovery plans for potential default of outsourced service providers. The FSA therefore calls on all sectors to take the necessary measures and to conduct all due diligence operations to ensure that operations contracted out to external providers are conducted appropriately.

The Japanese market authorities are planning to facilitate the fund merger process in order to reduce the number of products with low asset levels, Financial Times Fund Mnagement report. The article initially appeared in Ignites Asia, FTfm says. More than 4,000 funds are currently on sale to retail investors in Japan, but many are inactive. The large number of funds is largely due to the lack of a licensing system for fund launches. In Japan, to merge two funds, an asset management firm is required to obtain the consent of the majority of investors (50% or two thirds). The FSA is planning to abolish this requirement.

Pending the necessary regulatory approval, the former head of asset management at J.P. Morgan for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, James (Jamie) B. Broderick, will on 7 January 2013 become CEO Wealth Management for the United Kingdom and Jersey at UBS, the Swiss group announced on 11 December. Broderick will be based in London, and will report to Jakob Stott, CEO Wealth Management Europe. His departure from JPMAM was announced nine months ago (see Newsmanagers of 14 March).Broderick replaces Andre Cronje, “who has decided to take on a new challenge at UBS,” and who served in the role for four years.

Newton Investment Management (GBP49bn of AUM) is introducing changes related to its UK equities team. Richard Wilmot (Investment Leader, UK Equities) has been named the new lead manager of the Newton Higher Income Fund. He also manages the Newton UK Equity Fund. Wilmot replaces Tineke Frikkee, who is in discussion with the company about her role at the firm.Newton also intends to make changes to the way it manages the Newton Higher Income Fund. It is to broaden the buy and sell discipline of the fund from buying at 115% of market yield and selling at the market yield, to buying at 75% of the market yield and selling at 50% of the market yield. Secondly, the firm intends to reduce the fund’s yield progressively over the next 18 months, with the aim of meeting at least a 10% premium per annum to the FTSE All Share yield over rolling three year periods.Newton also plans to make a number of changes to a range of its investment strategies that are sub-scale and non-viable in the longer term. Subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, the Newton Cautious Managed Fund will be merged into the Newton Managed Income Fund. The firm will also, subject to regulatory approval, close several small funds as follows: the Newton Discovery Fund, Newton Pan-European Fund and the Dublin-domiciled BNY Mellon UK Equity, BNY Mellon Sterling Bond and BNY Mellon Continental European Funds.

Karina Litvack, who is leaving her position as head of governance and sustainable investment at F&C Asset Management at the end of this month, will not be replaced, the Financial Times reports. “My position no longer exists,” she wrote in a goodbye letter, attributing the changes to restructuring brought in by Edward Bramson, the American activist shareholders who became executive chairman last October. Her responsibilities will be redistributed to several people.

Royal London Asset Management (RLAM) on 11 December announced the appointment of Rob Williams as head of distribution. Williams, who will begin in his new role on 7 January 2013, will report to Andy Carter, CEO of RLAM. He will work to develop distribution and promotion strategies for the Royal London product range targeting wholesale and institutional clients. Williams previously worked at Skandia Investment Group, where he was responsible for distribution and marketing activities worldwide.