The agreement follows an announcement in December 2022, that SG Hiscock and abrdn had entered into a strategic partnership for SG Hiscock to distribute abrdn’s international funds to the Australian market.
The investment management of the abrdn Australian Small Companies Fund and the abrdn Ex-20 Australian Equities Fund would also transfer to SG Hiscock.
SG Hiscock chief executive, Giles Croker, said: “Both SG Hiscock and abrdn have been committed to ensuring all clients continue to be looked after during this time.
“In the short term, our focus will be on integrating the transferring staff into our business and creating a unified culture that ultimately benefits our combined investor base.
“As part of the transition, business development, consultant relations, marketing and client service staff have now moved across to our firm, ensuring continuity of services, relationships, and knowledge.”
Mr Croker added that the Ex-20 Australian Equities and the Australian Small Companies funds will continue to be maintained as separate funds and there will be no changes to the investment objective or investment universe.
“We’re pleased portfolio manager, Shawn Lee and assistant portfolio manager Philip Li, have transferred across to SG Hiscock to continue managing the two Australian equities funds,” he said.
“Investment continuity has been critical to the transition process, and having Shawn and Philip continuing to manage the abrdn funds will ensure a high level of integration between the teams from the outset.”
Rene Buehlmann, chief executive – Asia-Pacific at abrdn, said that growth in the Asia-Pacific region is a priority for the firm and that Australia is an important part of the market.
“The partnership with SG Hiscock is in response to the need for greater local scale to be successful in delivering the best outcomes for Australian investors,” Mr Buehlmann said.
“The transfer of Australian equity strategies and key investment and wholesale distribution staff in support of that, allows abrdn to focus on providing differentiated investment solutions to Australian investors, including global and Asian sustainable products across asset classes.”
The abrdn funds that SG Hiscock will now be distributing in the local market include the abrdn Global Risk Mitigation Fund, abrdn Multi-Asset Real Return Fund, abrdn Multi-Asset Income Fund, abrdn Sustainable Asian Opportunities Fund, abrdn Sustainable Emerging Opportunities Fund, abrdn Sustainable International Equities Fund, abrdn International Equity Fund, and abrdn Global Corporate Bond Fund.
