The Lunar Group has taken out the Multi Asset category at the IMAP Managed Account Awards.
As the Chief Investment Officer at Stanford Brown/The Lunar Group, Ashley Owen is the gate-keeper to the company’s investment process, ensuring that at all times, a rigorous procedure that is evidence and facts based is undertaken for making investment decisions.
Ashley oversees a six person investment committee, where there are models, processes and methodologies for every single asset class under review. It’s a meticulous undertaking.
“I review about 700 stocks around the world every quarter, and I do a top-down review of global scenarios,” Ashley says. “We’ve got fundamental models on different asset classes. It’s an extremely detailed process for looking at markets.”
Despite winning the IMAP Managed Account Award for Multi Asset Class, Ashley says success always hinges on whether clients actually receive what they need and what they want in a service offering.
“The ultimate test for any client is whether they are achieving their goals and objectives, such as regular cashflow and reliable capital growth. So, this means real returns over the long-term, ensuring clients have got the income they need in retirement and even, perhaps, for inter-generational wealth transfer.
“I believe gauging success means identifying whether clients are happy they’re on the right investment path and are being well looked after. I think that’s how you measure success, whether you’re an investment manager or an advisory business.”
Investment performance
And while Ashley throws in investment performance and returns into the mix of measuring success, he cautions they should not be the sole consideration.
“I remember from 2004 through to 2007, the markets were up 20 per cent a year, and if your portfolio was only up by 15 per cent, then people got annoyed because they weren’t making 20 per cent. People get carried away with returns,” he says.
“And, of course, during the downside, when markets fall by 50 per cent and a fund manager claims to have outperformed the market by 5 per cent, they have still lost 45 per cent. So, that’s not good. As an investment manager, you don’t want to lose people money.
“I think focusing purely on returns is far too narrow. In fact, 90 per cent of what we do here at Stanford Brown/The Lunar Group is understanding and managing risk in portfolios. So, the measures of success are qualitative and quantitative, and not just returns. It’s making sure people are on-track to reach their ultimate goals and objectives,” Ashley says.
Finalists
IMAP congratulates all the finalists in the Multi Asset Class category.
- Atrium Investment Management
- DFS Portfolio Solutions
- Dynamic Asset Consulting
- Innova Asset Management
- The Lunar Group
