US boutique to establish beach-head in Australia



US boutique fund manager Ariel Investments will open its first offshore office in Sydney and has named a former AXA Rosenberg executive to head up the local operation.
Former head and director of sales, Asia Pacific for Artio Global Investors, Ian M Webber has taken on the role of Head of Asia Pacific with Ariel which will initially market a global equities fund - Ariel Global - to Australian and Asian institutional investors.
Prior to working with Artio Webber held roles with AXA Rosenberg Investment Management, Salomon Smith Barney/Citigroup Asset Management and J.P. Morgan Investment Management.
Ariel Investments chief investment officer, international and global equities Rupal J. Bhansali said pension and super funds in the Asia-Pacific region were seeking funds that could provide capital appreciation driven by a proven investment process and a cohesive team.
""This is exactly what we bring to the table. From our negative screening process to our 360-degree scenario analysis, along with our rigorous attention to risk management, we have developed a robust and repeatable investment process to meet client objectives."
While the also offers investments into all-cap global and international equity portfolios and US small- and mid-cap equities strategies, the Ariel Global product to go on offer locally will be benchmark agnostic and invest in 75 to 100 stocks with a higher concentration across the top 10 holdings.
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