Sanlam UK today announces it will welcome a new global equity income team to the group at the end of the year, headed by Martin Currie head of income, Mark Whitehead.
Mark, along with Alan Porter and Laurie Lochtie, is set to join the firm at the end of 2020 and will bolster Sanlam’s investment offering with the launch of a new global equity income fund focusing on sustainable dividends, seeded with £200 million of existing Sanlam assets.
The addition of the income-focused team will complement the group’s existing Global High Quality team, led by Pieter Fourie, and create a centre of excellence within the Sanlam group for global equities. The expansion of Sanlam’s investment offering will ensure clients have choice across different market conditions and the ability to better diversify risk.
The move is part of the long-term strategy to build the Group’s expertise in global equities, which is a critical component of the investment offering for the Sanlam Group, making up the most sizable asset class for the international portfolios of clients in South Africa as well as multi asset clients in the UK.
Tom Carroll, Head of Asset Management said: “The appointment of Mark Whitehead and his team to Sanlam is a great step forward for the group and our efforts to expand our investment offering. The experience Mark and his team will bring will mean Sanlam clients have access to two excellent and complementary global equity offerings, enabling clients to better diversify their exposure to markets across the world.
“We have in the existing Global High Quality Fund a strong offering from an expert and credible team. They have delivered good, consistent alpha over a prolonged period and we believe introducing an additional fund with a complementary style allows us to better deliver consistently strong returns across the cycle for clients, providing them with a centre of excellence in the global equity space.
“Alongside our recent Fixed Income team hire and our award winning Alternatives business under Mike Pinggera, we have strength in depth across the key asset classes, run by individuals with great pedigree in terms of experience and performance. In isolation or packaged together, we are confident that we can deliver a good solution to all our clients’ investment needs.
Mark Whitehead, Fund Manager, said: “We are thrilled to be joining the growing Sanlam Group, and excited to play our part in expanding the investment offering for its clients. Alongside the highly regarded Global High Quality team, our approach, focussing on sustainable and growing income opportunities within global equities, will provide more choice and balance for investors.”