AMP recruits investment manager trio

By Rebecca Evans

AMP Capital Investors (AMPCI) has snared Trust Company senior investment manager Jim Reid and UBS Global Asset Management’s recently departed emerging companies portfolio manager Michael Cowin to work in similar roles.

The group has also signed up former InvestaProperty Group executive Andrew Roy to head its property transactions area, as AMPCI seeks to build its business beyond the core property sectors of commercial, retail and industrial.

Trust Company’s chief executive officer Anthony Sider says there would be no impact on the delivery of Trust’s investment process despite Reid’s departure, with Australian equities head Steven Marsh along with the remaining investment management team covering the role in the interim.

As for Cowin, he replaces Chris Cahill who departed AMPCI three months ago.

Meanwhile, Roy joins the company as head of the property transaction team with a directive to source investment opportunities for the group’s select property portfolio.

AMPCI aims to leverage the strategic planning, acquisitions, marketing and product development experience of the former general manager of the Investa Property Group’s syndication group.

Roy also brings experience from his time as assistant fund manager of the Westpac Property Trust where he was responsible for the corporate restructure of the Westpac investment properties.

The appointments are a boost to AMPCI, which in recent months has come under the spotlight of ratings house Assirt Research, which placed 10 AMPCI funds ‘on hold’ as a precautionary measure following some recent key departures within its Australian equities team.

AMPCI lost its director of capital funds Michael Evans in late April. He was promptly replaced by senior portfolio manager John Whiteman.