Pacific AM partners with specialist Australian boutique to launch infrastructure fund

Pacific Asset Management has teamed up with Australian investment manager Maple-Brown Abbott Global Listed Infrastructure (MBA GLI) to launch a listed infrastructure UCITS fund.

Under the agreement, Maple-Brown Abbott’s existing UCITS fund will be transferred into the Pacific UCITS structure bringing assets under management of approximately US$600m.

The Pacific Maple-Brown Abbott Global Infrastructure fund will be run by MBA GLI’s nine-strong Sydney-based team, which manages around US$3.6bn in infrastructure strategies, while utilising Pacific’s institutional-grade infrastructure, technology and operational resources.

The new fund will be sold through Pacific’s distribution network, providing access to global financial institutions, wealth managers and institutional investors.

Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, MBA GLI was formed in 2012 and is an affiliate of Maple-Brown Abbott. MBA GLI is led by portfolio managers, Andrew Maple-Brown, Steven Kempler, and Justin Lannen.

The group typically builds concentrated portfolios of 25-35 holdings, focusing on companies with defensive characteristics, inflation-linked revenues and strong sustainability credentials.

Matthew Lamb, CEO of Pacific Asset Management, said: “At Pacific we are focused on delivering high-conviction, craft investment strategies to our clients around the world. We are deliberately broadening our range to meet the evolving needs of our clients and changing market dynamics.

“By partnering with MBA GLI, we can provide our investors access to a highly experienced and successful global infrastructure team with a track record of identifying investment opportunities in companies that offer inflation protection and low cash flow volatility. Their approach aligns perfectly with our range of hard to industrialise strategies, and we are very much looking forward to working with them.”

Andrew Maple-Brown, co-founder and PM at Maple-Brown Abbott Global Listed Infrastructure, added: “Like ourselves, Pacific is committed to delivering superior returns to their clients through a deep focus on specialist investment management.

“We focus on core infrastructure with lower volatility, inflation protection and income stability. Leveraging the technology and business infrastructure provided by Pacific means that we can focus on the job of investing and providing alpha to investors.”