OMIGSA’s Select Equity Investments boutique changes its name to Electus
In line with Old Mutual Investment Group SA (OMIGSA)’s pioneering vision of developing a series of autonomous investment businesses, we are pleased to announce that Select Equity Investments will trade under the new name of Electus from 1 October 2010 – making it the first Old Mutual-branded investment boutique to take on its own identity.
Tim Cumming, OMIGSA’s Interim CEO, explained: “OMIGSA’s specialist boutiques are now more than three years old, and during this time Select Equity Investments has established a very successful business model and track record for investment outperformance, attracting significant third-party assets under management. It is now a successful stand-alone business, which is why we are able to take this next logical step in its development.
“Of course, it is not alone in this regard,” he noted. “So although it is the first among our in-house boutiques to re-brand itself, it won’t be the last – we expect to announce additional name changes in the coming months.”
The name Electus – which means “select” in Latin – reflects the care with which boutique heads Neil Brown and Richard Hasson have managed their hand-picked share portfolios since the inception of OMIGSA’s boutique model in January 2007. Also, the funds they manage hold only 35 to 40 carefully chosen shares, while they have limited both their asset capacity and number of clients in the pursuit of excess returns and the highest standard of personalised client service.
“All of these criteria point to the ‘select’ nature of their business,” added Cumming. “They wanted a name that reflected simplicity, while not undermining the complexity behind their meticulous stock selection process, and Electus seemed an obvious choice.”
While the name and branding have changed, the boutique – which boasts a highly skilled, award-winning team with 30 years’ investment and stock-picking experience - will continue to apply the same consistent, disciplined and in-depth investment process that has been so instrumental in helping them achieve their aim of delivering to their clients excess returns of over 3% per year over the longer term. Clients and intermediaries will not be impacted in any way by the name change, and all funds will be managed according to their original mandates.
“Going forward, Neil and Richard will continue to leverage off OMIGSA’s extensive investment research, world-class services and operational infrastructure, particularly the insightful propriety research from our equity research team and economists,” Cumming noted. “And as part of the OMIGSA portfolio of boutiques, our commitment to support Electus remains unchanged.”
