MLC AM awards $285m mandate to Janus Henderson
Janus Henderson has been awarded a $285 million mandate from MLC Asset Management to manage emerging market equities.
The mandate will be invested in the Janus Henderson Emerging Markets Equity strategy, which was launched for Australian investors in August 2023. This seeks to achieve consistent risk-adjusted returns by looking to identify attractive opportunities within countries across various states of economic and political development.
It particularly highlights opportunities in Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Mexico, which are seeing the benefits of outsourcing to help its supply chain networks.
The fund is managed by lead portfolio manager Daniel Graña and co-portfolio manager Matthew Culley, who are both based in Boston and supported by research analysts in Boston and Singapore.
Graña joined Janus Henderson, which opted to delist from the ASX last year, in 2019 after 20 years at Putnam Investments, while Culley joined the asset manager as an assistant portfolio manager in the same year, also moving over from Putnam Investments.
Liam Wilson, portfolio manager at MLC Asset Management, said: “We are excited to partner with Janus Henderson to embrace the opportunities of tomorrow by navigating the complexities of today’s global emerging markets.”
Matt Gaden, head of Australia at Janus Henderson, said: “Janus Henderson Investors is committed to creating and developing innovative strategies to better service its clients.
“We see real opportunities to bring our best investment talent in both global and emerging market equities to the Australian market. Our high conviction Emerging Markets Equity strategy is just one example of where we can help investors, such as MLC Asset Management, build out their global equity portfolios with high-quality active investment strategies.”
In May, the firm announced it had entered into a strategic partnership with NBK Wealth, the wealth management arm of the National Bank of Kuwait Group. Its private investment arm will now form Janus Henderson’s emerging market private capital division.
“Janus Henderson believes emerging markets remain underpenetrated for private capital solutions and therefore present a key strategic growth area. The company expects that partnering with NBK Wealth will provide Janus Henderson with the opportunity to tap into this rapidly expanding market where there is increasing appetite from both sovereigns and corporates,” the firm said in a statement at the time.
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