On Monday, GSFM announced its partnership with Alantra Asset Management to distribute the EQMC strategy, which targets the listed European small and mid-cap space, within Australia.
For GSFM, this venture marks a strategic expansion into a new asset class, providing investors with access to a well-performing fund not widely available in Australia until now.
The EQMC strategy, managed by a 14-member investment team, targets companies with market caps up to €2 billion. It adopts an active ownership approach, emphasising hands-on engagement with a long-term investment horizon of three to five years.
The strategy’s concentrated portfolio of 12 to 16 companies reflects a bias towards export-oriented pan-European businesses.
Damien McIntyre, CEO of GSFM, emphasised the importance of this partnership in expanding exposure to the European market through an investment avenue that was previously unavailable to GSFM’s investors and not widely accessible in the Australian market.
“The investment philosophy behind this strategy is appealing, with its strict value metrics, focus on active engagement and exposure to high-quality assets in global markets,” said McIntyre.
Alantra Asset Management brings a wealth of experience to this collaboration, GSFM said, with over 600 professionals globally and a strong presence in alternative asset management and financial advisory services.
The EQMC strategy, managed by experienced executives like Jacobo Llanza and Francisco De Juan, has demonstrated robust performance since its inception in 2010, boasting around 11 per cent net annualised returns. The strategy has AUM of €1 billion.
Francisco De Juan, managing partner & EQMC CIO at Alantra, expressed enthusiasm about partnering with GSFM, citing GSFM’s established distribution network and track record in Australia.
“What appeals to us about this partnership is GSFM’s strong distribution track record in Australia, backed by its highly experienced and longstanding distribution team,” said De Juan.
“Working closely these past few months with the GSFM team to kick this partnership off has given us insight into GSFM’s values, and we are looking forward to working with the team to provide an outstanding strategy to Australian investors.”
This move follows the recent announcement of GSFM partnerships formed with Eastspring Investments Partners to distribute the GEM Dynamic Strategy in April of this year, and with Access Capital Partners to distribute the Access European Smaller Buy-outs and Access European Infrastructure strategies in December 2023.
