Mediolanum International Funds Limited has launched the Mediolanum Innovative Thematic Opportunities fund, a global equities fund that is part of its Best Brands Ucits umbrella registered in Dublin, and which will be distributed through Mediolanum Banking Group Family Bankers to investors in Italy, Germany and Spain.
Mediolanum Asset Management, the investment manager of the fund, has selected Robeco to be the delegated portfolio manager on the basis of its experience managing thematically-led strategies. Robeco is responsible for generating alpha through active security selection and asset allocation on a thematic basis.
Mediolanum AM is responsible for ensuring that the product structure, strategy and outcome remain aligned with client expectations; this could mean the strategy adjusts over time to market conditions and that new managers may be added “when appropriate”. The fund is overseen by Mediolanum AM’s Brian O’Rourke, head of Investment Partnerships, with Tommaso Tabacchi as portfolio manager.
The fund will invest in companies effecting change in four key thematic areas: The Digital World, Emerging Middle Class, Industrial Renaissance and Getting Older & Staying Healthy. The portfolio will be unconstrained by sectors and regions. Macro and structural changes will be in focus as they impact the trends in areas of technology and innovation, demographics, changes to consumer preferences, urbanisation and climate change. The fund can invest globally in equities, including emerging markets – but will apply a “sustainable mindset”.
The investment universe is estimated at some 3,000 securities, with the portfolio aiming to hold a maximum of 70. The investment process relies on Mediolanum AM’s proprietary process called Med3, which is designed to managed retail investment solutions. The minimum investment is set at €5,000.
Furio Pietribiasi, managing director of Mediolanum AM, said: “Our objective is to continuously provide our clients with optimal solutions and diversified portfolios that capture the best sustainable returns opportunities. This launch consolidates our Best Brand offering and demonstrates our commitment to staying ahead of the curve. Our established investment process and our experienced investment team, led by Christophe Jaubert, are widely recognised by the industry for their expertise and outstanding track record when it comes to selecting and combining the best managers. Our new thematic investing offer seeks to identify the underlying growth drivers before they become lasting structural changes and disrupt our economies and societies in the next decade. We are also delighted to partner with Robeco, a true pioneer of thematic investing, and with a strong reputation in the ESG and sustainable investing space.”
