Sam Houlie
In a strategic move within the group, Jonathan Stewart, the chief investment officer of Momentum Asset Management, will be taking up a new opportunity within the MMI Group in the strategic intelligence unit reporting to Nicolaas Kruger, chief executive of
At the same time, we are pleased to announce that Sam Houlie will be joining the firm to establish a new Contrarian investment capability to complement the firm’s existing offering. Houlie will head up the new team and they will be managing local and global strategies for institutional and retail clients.
Houlie, a chartered accountant and CFA charter holder, brings 16 years of domestic and global investment experience to the firm. Prior to joining Momentum Asset Management, Houlie was at Investec Asset Management until September 2011, where he held the positions of director, head of South African equities and portfolio manager in the Global Contrarian team.
Houlie started his career in the investment management industry at Allan Gray and moved to Abvest (now ABSA Asset Management) where he fulfilled the roles of portfolio manager, chief investment officer and ultimately chief executive officer, before leaving to join Investec Asset Management in early 2006. Houlie headed a team of investment professionals responsible for well over R100 billion in equities across the full spectrum of portfolios, from pure equity to multi-asset mandates. He was the lead portfolio manager and key decision maker for close on R40 billion of client assets, including the Investec Global Franchise Fund and Investec Cautious Managed Fund. He also managed the Discovery Equity Fund since its inception in November 2007, until his departure in 2011.
Houlie says he is refreshed and invigorated after a welcome break from the industry. “I am a keen student of Momentum’s history and I am particularly drawn to their excellent record in fostering an entrepreneurial culture in underlying businesses. I am also greatly encouraged that financial market conditions currently align extremely well with our signature Contrarian style of investing and furthermore, we believe the domestic investment industry is ripe for the composition of the team that we will assemble,” says Houlie.
Sibusiso Mabuza, chief executive officer at Momentum Asset Management says, “Sam’s extensive investment experience and outstanding investment track record in both specialist equity and multi-asset class portfolios will add tremendous depth to our investment team and business.”
“Sam’s appointment is a catalyst for strengthening Momentum Asset Management’s ability to offer a differentiated solution to our diverse client base,” concludes Mabuza.
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