Martin Currie Announces New Leadership Roles Within Its Leeds-Based UK Equity Team
- Ben Russon Promoted to Co-Head, UK Equities (Large Cap) and Richard Bullas Promoted to Co-Head, UK Equities (Small & Mid-Cap).
- Colin Morton, Martin Currie’s Head of UK Equities, will retire on 31 December 2022.
Edinburgh & London, 05 September 2022 – Martin Currie1, a global active equity specialist headquartered in Edinburgh and part of the Franklin Templeton group2, is delighted to announce that Ben Russon and Richard Bullas will co-head Martin Currie’s UK Equity team effective 1 October 2022. Both Ben and Richard will report into Michael Browne, Global Head of Investment Strategy and Oversight at Martin Currie.
Browne said: “These promotions are in recognition of Ben and Richard’s long-term and successful individual contributions to the growth of the UK Equity team. They demonstrate Martin Currie’s commitment to develop leadership talent in line with a thoughtful and strategic succession plan. Both Ben and Richard have added significant and meaningful value to the team over the years and, in their new roles, will continue to work closely and collaboratively to co-head the UK Equity team.”
In his expanded role, Ben will now lead the focus on UK large caps and will oversee portfolio managers Jo Rands and Will Bradwell, who will report directly into him effective 1 October 2022.
Meanwhile, Richard will continue to lead on UK small and mid-caps and he will oversee portfolio managers Dan Green and Marcus Tregoning as well as investment analyst Courtney Westcarr, who will report into him effective 1 October 2022.
In addition, Colin Morton, has informed the firm that he will retire from the investment management industry effective 31 December 2022. Colin has spent over 39 years working in the UK investment management industry and has been with the firm since 2011 when Franklin Templeton acquired Rensburg Fund Management (subsequently rebranded as Franklin UK Equity team and now Martin Currie UK Equity Team).
Martyn Gilbey, UK Country Head at Franklin Templeton, commented: “Franklin Templeton and Martin Currie are deeply appreciative of Colin’s leadership and his decades of service, commitment and dedication to the firm. We send him our very best wishes in his well-deserved retirement. Colin will continue to work closely with the team to fully transition his fund management responsibilities over the coming months. Under Ben’s leadership, there will be no changes to any of the funds’ investment philosophy or process.”
Effective 31 December 2022, Colin will relinquish the portfolio manager responsibilities on the UK equity funds on which he is named. Ben will be become Lead Portfolio Manager on the following funds and will continue to be supported by Portfolio Managers Will Bradwell and Jo Rands. He continues to be Lead Portfolio Manager on the UK-registered FTF Franklin UK Opportunities Fund3:
|
Domicile |
Fund Name |
Current PM Team |
New PM Team as 31/12/2022 |
|
United Kingdom |
FTF Franklin UK Equity Income Fund3 |
Colin Morton (Co-Lead) |
Ben Russon (Lead) |
|
United Kingdom |
FTF Franklin UK Managers' Focus Fund3 |
Richard Bullas (Co-Lead) |
Richard Bullas (Co-Lead) Jo Rands (Co-Lead) |
|
United Kingdom |
FTF Franklin UK Opportunities Fund3 |
Ben Russon (Lead) |
Ben Russon (Lead) Jo Rands (PM) |
|
Luxembourg |
FTIF Franklin UK Equity Income Fund4 |
Colin Morton (Co-Lead) Jo Rands (PM) |
Ben Russon (Lead) |
The Martin Currie UK Equity team operate in a collaborative manner where desk-based discussion is encouraged. The close-knit nature of the team ensures that in-depth research is shared across the team over healthy debate and challenge to the status quo. Sector responsibilities are not allocated; rather, each PM/Analyst operates as a generalist in their respective capitalisation discipline. This team-based approach ensures continuous and in-depth coverage of the entire UK market. Based in Leeds, as of 1 January 2023 the team will consist of seven investment professionals with 106 years of combined industry experience. As of 31 July, Martin Currie manages GBP4.5 billion in UK equities.
- ENDS –
Contacts:
|
Saira Khan Senior Corporate Communications Manager Franklin Templeton Cannon Place, 78 Cannon Street London EC4N 6HL Tel: 0207 073 8644 Email: [email protected] |
Dorine Johnson Head of Corporate Communications EMEA Franklin Templeton Cannon Place, 78 Cannon Street London EC4N 6HL Tel: 0207 073 8538 Email: [email protected] |
This is a marketing communication. Please refer to the prospectus of the UCITS and to the KID before making any final investment decisions.
- Martin Currie is a global active equity specialist with leading credentials in sustainable investing, crafting high-conviction portfolios for client-focused solutions. Investment excellence is at the heart of its business. Central to its philosophy is a stock-driven approach, based on in-depth fundamental research, active ownership and engagement and skilled portfolio construction. Martin Currie is rated A+ in all three categories under the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) 2020. As a specialist investment manager of Franklin Resources Inc., it also has the backing of one of the world’s largest asset management firms.
- Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 155 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers boutique specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in equity, fixed income, multi-asset solutions and alternatives. With offices in more than 30 countries and approximately 1,300 investment professionals, the California-based company has 75 years of investment experience and approximately $1.4 trillion in assets under management as of 31 July, 2022. For more information, please visit www.franklintempleton.co.uk and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
- The FTF Franklin UK Opportunities Fund, FTF Franklin Rising Dividends Fund and FTF Franklin UK Equity Income Fund are sub-funds of Franklin Templeton Funds (FTF), a UK-domiciled OEIC range. For further information, please refer to relevant Key Investor Information Document. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance. This document does not constitute or form part of any offer for shares or an invitation to apply for shares. Subscriptions for shares can only be made on the basis of the Fund’s current prospectus and the relevant Key Investor Information Document, Supplementary Information Document, accompanied by the latest available audited annual report and the latest semi-annual report if published thereafter. The price of the shares of the Funds and the income received from them can go down as well as up, and investors may not get back the full amount invested. Currency fluctuations may affect the value of overseas investment. An investment in the Franklin Templeton Funds OEIC funds entails risks, which are described in the Fund’s prospectus and relevant Key Investor Information Document.
- FTIF Franklin UK Equity Income Fund is a sub-fund of Franklin Templeton Investments Funds (FTIF), a Luxembourg-domiciled SICAV.
Subscriptions to shares of FTIF can only be made on the basis of the current prospectus, and, where available, the relevant Key Investor Information Document, accompanied by the latest available audited annual report and the latest semi-annual report if published thereafter. These documents can be found on our website at www.ftidocuments.com or can be obtained, free of charge, from your local FTI representative. The Fund's documents are available in English, Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish.
In addition, a summary of investor rights is available from franklintempleton.lu. The summary is available in English.
The sub-funds of FTIF are notified for marketing in multiple EU Member States under the UCITS Directive. FTIF can terminate such notifications for any share class and/or sub-fund at any time by using the process contained in Article 93a of the UCITS Directive.
Past performance is not an indicator or a guarantee of future performance. Currency fluctuations may affect the value of overseas investments. When investing in a fund denominated in a foreign currency, your performance may also be affected by currency fluctuations. In emerging markets, the risks can be greater than in developed markets. The value of shares in FTIF and income received from it can go down as well as up, and investors may not get back the full amount invested.
An investment in FTIF entails risks, which are described in the FTIF’s prospectus and, where available, the relevant Key Investor Information Document. Investments in derivative instruments entail specific risks that may increase the risk profile of the fund and are more fully described in FTIF’s prospectus and where available in the relevant Key Investor Information Document. References to particular industries, sectors or companies are for general information and are not necessarily indicative of a fund’s holding at any one time.
No shares of FTIF may be directly or indirectly offered or sold to nationals or residents of the United States of America. Shares of FTIF are not available for distribution in all jurisdictions and prospective investors should confirm availability with their local Franklin Templeton Investments representative before making any plans to invest.
This press release is intended to be of general interest only and does not constitute professional advice. Franklin Templeton and its management groups have exercised professional care and diligence in the collection and processing of the information in this press release. Franklin Templeton makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy of this document. Franklin Templeton shall not be liable to any user of this report or to any other person or entity for the inaccuracy of information contained in this press release or for any errors or omissions in its contents, regardless of the cause of such inaccuracy, error or omission.
Any research and analysis contained in this document has been procured by Franklin Templeton for its own purposes. For more information, UK investors should contact: Franklin Templeton, Cannon Place, 78 Cannon Street, London EC4N 6HL. United Kingdom. Phone: 0800 305 306, Email [email protected].
Issued by Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited (FTIML). FTIML is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Copyright © 2022 Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.