Plato Investment Management has boosted its investment team by appointing Todd Kennedy as senior portfolio manager and also launched a new high-yield strategy.
Kennedy will be in charge of research into quantitative stock selection models, alpha generation, portfolio construction and environmental, social and governance issues.
He was most recently State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) head of Asia ex-Japan active equities and has almost 20 years’ experience in financial markets.
Plato managing director Don Hamson said Kennedy’s appointment demonstrated the firm’s confidence that quantitative equity managers were well positioned to grow.
“We are absolutely delighted that Kennedy has agreed to join Plato at this time in our development,” he said.
Hamson said Plato had conducted significant research into issues such as after-tax investing, which led directly to the launch of a high-yield strategy.
“Kennedy’s work in this area at SSgA will complement and enhance our capabilities for this strategy, as well as in other areas where quantitative managers have a competitive advantage such as long-short,” he said.
Plato currently has $300 million in funds under management and advice across its core, market neutral, 130/30 and high-yield strategies.
