Sarasin & Partners, the global investment manager that invests thematically and responsibly on behalf of charities, private clients and institutions, saw a 22% increase in assets under management and administration (AuMA) in 2021 – in spite of a year that saw significant market volatility. In addition, the company’s gross inflows reached a record annual high for the second year running.
Sarasin & Partners’ AuMA climbed from £17.2bn to £21bn over the course of 2021. While 2022 has been marked by further market volatility, Sarasin & Partners is positioned well for the future and has bolstered its team through several key changes to the firm’s investment leadership earlier this year, to nurture talent and drive business expansion. Guy Monson became chief market strategist, while Jerry Thomas and Phil Collins were promoted to chief investment officers, for global equities and multi-asset respectively.
Despite a volatile year for investment markets due to the lingering effects of Covid-19, including considerable supply-chain disruption and surging inflation, 2021 saw all areas of the Sarasin & Partners business grow in terms of AuMA. The Group’s revenues grew by 21% year-on-year, with its net profit increasing by 30% to £36.2m over the period.
Sarasin & Partners’ charities division ended the year with AuMA of £9.1bn, an increase of 21% on 2020, driven by a combination of investment performance and net new business inflow. Elsewhere, the private client division ended the year with a 15% rise in AuMA, to £5.4bn, again driven by a combination of investment performance and net inflows. The retail and institutional divisions were also buoyed by Sarasin & Partners’ continued strengthening of its distribution capabilities.
Guy Matthews, managing partner at Sarasin & Partners, commented: “We are delighted with Sarasin & Partners’ considerable growth in assets during 2021, which is testament to the Group’s proven thematic investment approach and high-quality client service.
“The positive growth also reflects Sarasin & Partners’ continued commitment to stewardship. Following our move to become a founding signatory of the Net Zero Asset Managers (NZAM) Commitment, in 2021 we published our NZAM action plan, setting out how we will align our investment and stewardship activities with the attainment of net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner, in line with the Paris Agreement. The move strongly echoes the growing appetite from our diverse client base for greener investing, and marks a significant milestone in our journey towards reaching net zero.”
Sarasin & Partners’ pioneering global thematic approach to investing, which has underpinned the group’s equity selection process since 1996, looks to capitalise on long-term secular megatrends shaping the global economy – such as ageing, digitalisation, automation, evolving consumption and climate change. It is also committed to responsible stewardship principles, across the three pillars of embedded ESG analysis, active ownership and policy outreach. By tapping into long-term growth trends, and applying a responsible approach to investment, the group’s solutions are better able to weather short-term shocks, such as those witnessed in 2021 and in the first half of this year.
