Australian funds management group Pengana Capital (Pengana) has appointed three new members to its marketing and distribution team in response to growing demand for its investment strategies.
Rachel Elfverson has been appointed as Regional Distribution Manager for Queensland and Alex Keen as Regional Distribution Manager for New South Wales.
In their new roles, Ms Elfverson and Mr Keen will be responsible for sales via dealer groups and financial advisers across Pengana’s suite of funds.
Ms Elfverson brings more than 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Pengana she held senior business development roles with Australian Unity’s Lifeplan Funds Management and BT Financial Group. Mr Keen brings more than seven years’ experience in the fund management industry. He most recently worked for Fidante as Senior Business Development Manager and previously for Equity Trustees as Key Account Manager.
Damian Crowley, Pengana’s Director of Distribution said: “Alex and Rachel both bring extensive experience working with dealer groups and financial advisers in areas including compliance management, practice development and business development. Their wealth of experience makes them well suited for the Regional Distribution Manager role.”
Pengana has also appointed Nicole Thompson as Marketing Manager. Ms Thompson brings more than 15 years’ marketing experience in the financial services industry and joins from NAB Asset Management where she was a marketing consultant. Prior to this role she was a marketing manager at BT Financial Group and Colonial First State.
The appointments bring the Pengana marketing and distribution team to nine people.
Mr Crowley said Pengana had grown its marketing and distribution team in response to a significant increase in the number of dealer groups and advisers using Pengana funds, as well as the ongoing growth in Pengana’s suite of funds and assets under management. During 2015 Pengana’s suite of funds increased to seven covering global and Australian long only, long short and market neutral absolute return equities strategies. Overall assets under management have increased by more than 40% in the last two years, growing from $970 million to $1.5 billion.
Mr Crowley said the manager continued to focus on offering investment solutions that generated absolute returns for investors – not returns relative to an index.
“We’ve seen growing demand for our solutions as both investors and their advisers look for ways to achieve specific portfolio outcomes despite ongoing uncertainty across global markets,” Mr Crowley said.
In August, Pengana entered into a strategic agreement with leading US quantitative manager PanAgora Asset Management to introduce a number of new quantitative strategies for Australian advisers and retail investors.
The first Pengana PanAgora fund, a Global Equities Market Neutral Fund, is expected to be launched by Christmas.
The expanded Pengana distribution team will continue to work closely with its partners NAB Asset Management in taking the group’s investment solutions to advisers and their clients.