Sophia Rahmani will be leading the company from 14 October, coming from her role as chief operating officer, Pan Asia for Janus Henderson Investors.
Previously, Ms Rahmani was chief operating officer for Janus Henderson’s Australian arm. Prior to that, she was with Macquarie Group for eight years, mainly in asset management.
Current MBA boss Garth Rossler, who has been managing director and chief investment officer for more than 10 years, informed the board last year of his intention to step down from the lead role to focus on his investing responsibilities.
Mr Rossler will continue in his role of chief investment officer following Ms Rahmani’s appointment.
MBA said there will be no change to its investment style and philosophy.
Chairman Robert Lee commented the firm has seen growth in recent years and it is an appropriate time to appoint a managing director whose sole focus is overlooking the business.
“Sophia has extensive experience in managing and growing global assets with experience in Australia, Asia and the US,” he said.
“We look forward to her joining the firm at a time when it is well positioned for growth.”
MBA reported it now manages more than $6 billion, with more than half of the funds under management being from non-Australian investors.
Ms Rahmani said she had a high regard for the company’s Australian and Asian equities strategies.
“These capabilities are run by very experienced teams with long-dated proven performance track records which provides me with great confidence in the future of the business,” Ms Rahmani said.
“MBA is widely respected as a firm with a long history of high integrity and focus on client outcomes, and I believe it has a culture of strong alignment between clients and employees.”
