Former investment director at GAM Investments, Mark Hawtin, has joined Liontrust as head of the global equities team.

He has 40 years of investment experience most recently at GAM Investments, where he was head of global equities managing global equity long only and long/short funds.

Prior to joining GAM in 2008, Hawtin was a partner and portfolio manager at Marshall Wace Asset Management for eight years, where he managed one of Europe’s largest technology, media and telecoms hedge funds.

David Goodman, Kevin Kruczynski and Pieran Maru, who were part of his team at GAM, have also joined the global equities team at Liontrust.

The team is taking on the management of a range of Liontrust global equity funds including the Liontrust Balanced Fund and the Liontrust Global Alpha Fund.

Hawtin and Goodman have also been appointed as sub-investment managers of the GAM Star Alpha Technology Fund, which will move to Liontrust in due course.

Moving internally at Liontrust to join the global equities team are Ewan Thompson, Tom Smith and Ruth Chambers, along with the emerging markets and Japan Equity funds they manage.

The investment philosophy of Mark and his team is based on the belief that the world is changing at an ever-increasing speed, the statement further said.

This required companies to adapt their business models much more rapidly in response to threats that challenge the traditional world order. As an equity investor, the team said it believes this creates opportunities as there are greater polarisations between the winners and losers, those that adapt and those that do not.

John Ions, CEO of Liontrust Asset Management said: “Mark and his team are highly respected and bring a strong track record. They align with the Liontrust investment approach of active management through the application of a rigorous investment process, long-term investing, high-conviction portfolios, and engagement with companies and clients.

"Mark Hawtin and his team are a significant addition to Liontrust given the demand for global equities from clients in the UK and internationally.”

Hawtin added: “We are really excited to have joined Liontrust as it is in the process of building a strong global equity platform. We look forward to extending the product offering at a time when the global equity opportunity is so great.

"My experience of running global funds at Marshall Wace and then GAM has allowed me to see markets through many different cycles. This knowledge will serve us well as we navigate a period marked by unprecedented levels of change caused by structural disruption as well as geopolitical uncertainty.”