Schroder Investment Management Australia Ltd has been named overall Fund Manager of the Year. Macquarie Professional Series picked up the award for Product Distributor of the Year.
CBRE Clarion Securities, PIMCO Australia (Equity Trustees) and Schroder Investment Management Australia were presented with new Sustained Excellence awards.
The 2011 S&P Fund Awards were announced at a business lunch in Sydney today.
The S&P Fund Awards are now in their eighth year in Australia and recognise excellence within the Australian fund management industry. The methodology is based on a qualitative assessment of specific investment management capabilities within a sector, rather than being based on the past performance of individual funds.
“The team at S&P have conducted in-depth analysis across a range of high-performing managers to come up with today’s awards recipients,” says head of research at S&P Fund Services, Leanne Milton.
“The fund managers recognised this year are those we believe are more likely to outperform their peers and investment objectives through the full investment cycle.”
Simon Hoyle, editor of Professional Planner, says the awards methodology helps financial planners identify the best managers in the market, while avoiding much of the risk that goes along with relying on past performance as a principal guide to the future.
“Knowing the fund managers with robust, proven and high-quality process – and which have the calibre of people to implement those processes effectively – is a much surer way of avoiding unexpected investment results in future,” he says.
“If financial planners can avoid promoting themselves principally as investment experts, able to pick the best performing stocks or funds, then they’ll avoid the reputational damage and awkward conversations with clients that inevitably seem to follow.”
Full coverage of the S&P Fund Awards, in association with Professional Planner, will appear in the November edition of the magazine.
GROUP WINNERS
Fund Manager of the Year Schroder Investment Management S&P says: Schroder Investment Management has key strengths across its product offerings including a clearly defined investment style, disciplined and repeatable investment processes, and highly experienced skilled and well resourced investment teams. In particular, Schroders’ acute awareness of risk, which is embedded into the investment processes across the asset classes, is a competitive advantage and one of its differentiating features. Further, Schroders is a high quality asset management firm that offers a range of superior products across a number of asset classes which differentiates it from its peers.
Product Distributor of the Year Macquarie Professional Series S&P says: Macquarie Professional Series aims to develop and distribute a suite of “best of breed” funds, providing them with administrative and distribution expertise in the Australian market. Overall, the quality of the managers chosen by this distributor is a reflection of the discerning approach it has taken in selecting them rather than just distributing a large number of average products. Macquarie has assessed the opportunities and relevance of these products for the Australian marketplace and has provided Australian investors with access to managers and capabilities, which may not have otherwise been available to them.
SECTOR WINNERS
Australian Fixed Interest PIMCO Australia Pty Ltd. (Equity Trustees)
Global Fixed Interest (including Diversified) PIMCO Australia Pty Ltd. (Equity Trustees)
Property CBRE Clarion Securities
Alternative Equity Strategies K2 Asset Management
Alternative Diversified Strategies Winton (Macquarie Professional Series)
Australian Equities – Large-Cap FIL Investment Management (Australia)
Australian Equities – Small-Cap Aviva Investors Australia
Global Equities – Developed Markets Independent Franchise Partners (Macquarie Professional Series)
Global Equities – Emerging Markets Schroder Investment Management
Multi-Sector Schroder Investment Management
SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE AWARDS CBRE Clarion Securities Winner of S&P’s property category in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 PIMCO Australia (Equity Trustees) Winner of S&P’s Fixed Interest category in 2008, and Global Fixed Interest category in 2009, 2010 and 2011 Schroder Investment Management Winner of S&P’s Emerging Markets category in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011
Note: The sustained excellence award was introduced in 2011 and is presented to fund managers that, in S&P’s opinion, have demonstrated sustained excellence. This award is aimed at managers that have consistently won their sector award over a number of years, including the current year.
