The winners of the Professional Planner|Zenith Fund Awards 2014 – including the prestigious Fund Manager of the Year and the Distributor of the Year – were announced this afternoon at a luncheon at the Ivy Ballroom in Sydney, attended by more than 300 of the industry’s leading participants and VIP guests.

Top honours went to AMP Capital as Fund Manager of the Year, with Perpetual Investments and Platinum Asset Management named as finalists in the category. AMP also topped the Australian fixed interest category, and was a finalist in three others.

Macquarie was named Distributor of the Year. It distributes the fund management capabilities of Arrowstreet, Independent Franchise Partners (IFP), Walter Scott & Partners, and Winton Capital Management. Arrowstreet topped the international equities – global category, while Winton was a finalist in the alternative strategies (CTA/macro, multi strategy, FOHF, agribusiness, commodities, private equity, other) category.

The results of the awards are based on Zenith Investment Partners’ research methodology, which assesses the capabilities of fund management businesses based on a range of criteria, including: organisational strength; investment philosophy and process; investment team; security selection and valuation; portfolio construction, including risk management; and performance.

Zenith director David Wright says the Fund Awards recognise excellence in the application of a fund manager’s investment philosophy and process in the management of their respective capability.

He says Zenith follows a robust and comprehensive process for selecting the nominees and assigning the winners of each fund category, and this process builds on Zenith’s established fund manager review and rating process.

Full coverage of the awards, including interviews with the winning managers, will appear in the November edition of Professional Planner magazine.

Images from the Ivy Ballroom event will appear on Professional Planner online next week.

Category: Fund Manager of the Year
Winner
AMP Capital
Finalists
Perpetual Investments
Platinum Asset Management

Category: Distributor of the Year
Winner
Macquarie Professional Series
Finalists
Fidante Partners
Ironbark Asset Management

Category: AREIT
Winner
Phoenix Portfolios / Cromwell Funds Management
Finalists
Renaissance Asset Management / Zurich Investments
SG Hiscock and Company / EQT

Category: Global REIT
Winner
Resolution Capital
Finalists
AMP Capital
CBRE Clarion Securities/UBS Asset Management

Category: Direct property
Winner
Cromwell Funds Management
Finalists
AMP Capital
Australian Unity Investments

Category: Infrastructure
Winner
Lazard Asset Management Pacific Co
Finalists
AMP Capital
Magellan Asset Management

Category: Global and diversified fixed interest
Winner
Legg Mason Brandywine Global Asset Management
Finalists
Bentham / Fidante
PIMCO / EQT

Category: Australian fixed interest
Winner
AMP Capital
Finalists
Perennial Investment Partners
PIMCO / EQT

Category: Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
Winner
State Street Global Advisors (SSgA)
Finalists
BetaShares Capital
Vanguard Investments Australia

Category: Listed investment companies (LICs)
Winner
Wilson Asset Management (WAM)
Finalists
Platinum Asset Management
Watermark Funds Management

Category: Alternative strategies (CTA/macro, multi strategy, FOHF, agribusiness, commodities, private equity, other)
Winner
Partners Group
Finalists
Man Investments
Winton Capital Management / Macquarie Professional Series

Category: Multi asset – diversified
Winner
UBS Global Asset Management
Finalists
BlackRock Investment Management (Australia)
Russell Investment Management

Category: Multi asset – real return
Winner
MLC Investment Management
Finalists
Schroder Investment Management Australia
UBS Global Asset Management

Category: International equities – emerging markets and regional
Winner
Macquarie Investment Management
Finalists
Lazard Asset Management
TAAM Asia Pacific Investments

Category: International equities – alternative strategies (including market neutral, long/short, income overlay (options))
Winner
Platinum Asset Management
Finalists:
Lighthouse / Certitude Global Investments
Pengana Capital

Category: International equities – global
Winner
Arrowstreet Capital/Macquarie Professional Series
Finalists
MFS Investment Management
Paradice Investment Management

Category: Australian equities – alternative strategies (including market neutral, long/short, income overlay (options))
Winner
Perpetual Investments
Finalists
Ellerston Capital
Regal Funds Management / Ascalon

Category: Australian equities – small/mid/micro cap
Winner
BT Investment Management
Finalists
Ausbil Investment Management
Fairview Equity Partners / NabInvest

Category: Australian equities – large cap
Winner
Allan Gray
Finalists
Fidelity Worldwide Investment
Perpetual Investments

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