Portfolio manager succession

Edinburgh Investment Trust PLC

03 October 2023

 

THE EDINBURGH INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

LEI: 549300HV0VXCRONER808                                                                                    Date:  3 OCTOBER 2023

Portfolio manager succession

The Directors of the Edinburgh Investment Trust plc (the "Company") have been informed by Liontrust Fund Partners LLP ("Liontrust") that James de Uphaugh, the Company's portfolio manager, will retire in February 2024 after 36 years in the industry. James will continue to manage the Company's portfolio until February and will then be replaced as portfolio manager by his colleague Imran Sattar. As part of the succession, Imran has been appointed the Company's deputy portfolio manager, replacing Chris Field who is due to retire from Liontrust in November. The Directors thank James and Chris for their careful stewardship of the Company's portfolio and strong investment results since the appointment of the investment management team in March 2020.

Imran has been a member of the Liontrust Global Fundamental Team ("GFT") since 2018, managing UK equity client portfolios jointly alongside James and Chris. Imran is also lead manager for another UK equity strategy in his own right. Before joining the GFT, he was a Managing Director and Fund Manager at Blackrock, where he managed UK equity funds with combined assets of over £2 billion. Imran joined Mercury Asset Management (now Blackrock) in 1997. He will become head of the GFT in February 2024.

Once in place as the Company's portfolio manager, Imran will continue to apply the same flexible investment process that has been the hallmark of the portfolio since March 2020. Other than the change of portfolio manager, there will be no change to the Company's two investment objectives, strategy or the portfolio's key features - namely a high conviction portfolio of 40 to 50 differentiated holdings, primarily invested in UK equities, underpinned by fundamental company research. Imran, like James, will also be supported by a collegiate team of nine fund managers and analysts: the depth of experience across the GFT will be an important factor to ensure the repeatability of attractive long-term returns in the years ahead.

The Company's Chair, Elisabeth Stheeman, said:

"James oversaw the successful transition of the Company's management to the Global Fundamental Team and has delivered impressive investment performance in volatile market conditions. Over this period, from 31 March 2020 to 28 September 2023, the Net Asset Value per share (cum income, debt at fair value) has risen by 73.2% and the share price total return has risen by 80.2%, against 49.2% for the comparator index (the FTSE All Share)[1].

"Imran has a strong investment pedigree, deep knowledge of the UK equity market, has long experience of managing large investment portfolios, and has worked alongside James and Chris for many years. He and his colleagues are well placed to build on the strong foundations put in place since 2020 and we look forward to working with him."

Enquiries

Edinburgh Investment Trust plc

Elisabeth Stheeman (Chair)         via Montfort below

Liontrust Fund Partners LLP

James Mowat                                    [phone]

Investec Bank plc

Tom Skinner                                       [phone]

Montfort Communications

Gay Collins                                          [phone]

Shireen Farhana                               [phone]

Ella Henderson                                  [phone]

[e-mail]

Notes

The Company's twin objectives are (1) an increase of the Net Asset Value per share in excess of the growth of the FTSE All-Share index and (2) growth in dividends per share in excess of the rate of inflation. To achieve this, the portfolio manager constructs a high-conviction, differentiated and diversified portfolio of listed equities. The investment approach is flexible and 'total return', i.e. shareholder returns should come through a combination of income and capital growth over the long term. Stocks that might be labelled 'growth', 'value' and 'recovery' may all be held. At least 80% of assets are invested in UK-listed shares.

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[1] Source: Liontrust Fund Partners LLP

 

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