Blackwattle appoints Apex Group for admin services



Blackwattle Investment Partners has appointed global financial services provider, Apex Group, for fund administration and custody solutions.
The fund manager commenced operations in May this year with initial seed capital commitments of over $60 million to offer investment solutions across Australian equity and global markets.
Apex Group will provide Blackwattle with technology-enabled fund administration, transfer agency, middle office and custody solutions.
Nick Bradford, Apex’s head of business development for Australia and New Zealand, said it is delighted to support Blackwattle as the firm brings a “refreshing approach” to the market.
“Our fund solutions will free up the time and resources of the Blackwattle investment team, enabling them to focus on building on their proven investment ability and track record of outperformance, to become leaders within the Australian market,” Bradford said.
In August, Blackwattle launched its first three funds: Mid Cap Quality headed by Tim Riordan and Michael Teran; and Long-Short 130/30 Quality and Large Cap Quality Funds, managed by Ray David and Joe Koh. It has also launched a Small Cap Quality Fund, led by Robert Hawkesford and Daniel Broeren.
Equity Trustees will be the responsible entity, and Blackwattle has flagged further expansion into global equity and alternative assets at a later date.
“From day one at Blackwattle, we are committed to open and transparent communication with our investors, so it’s essential that we get the fundamentals established, including daily investment management tasks,” said Michael Skinner, Blackwattle CIO.
“Apex Group’s solutions will enable our teams to operate efficiently, giving them the time and bandwidth to focus on their core purpose of delivering strong returns for our investors.
“We value Apex Group’s single-source model, which allows us to access all the fund administration, transfer agency, middle office and custody solutions we require, via one local relationship with an experienced local team.”
Blackwattle chief executive, Jarred Rubin, added: “For us, it is essential that any service partner has the flexibility to accommodate our innovative business model, now as well as in the future.
“The team at Apex Group shares our entrepreneurial mindset and has demonstrated their ability to support us as we scale and provide the services we will need to achieve our ambitions for future growth across multiple assets.”
Apex currently delivers services to a range of financial institutions, asset managers, family offices and private clients, and has over 94 offices globally.
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