Regnan, the responsible investment management business affiliated with J O Hambro Capital Management (JOHCM), announces the hire of Bertrand Lecourt, Senior Fund Manager, and Saurabh Sharma, Fund Manager, ahead of the launch of a global equities sustainable water and waste investment strategy later this year.

Lecourt and Sharma will join Regnan in April from Fidelity International and will be based in JOHCM’s London head office. They currently manage US$2.5 billion of assets within a sustainable water and waste strategy, including the US$2.4 billion Luxembourg-domiciled Fidelity Funds - Sustainable Water & Waste Fund and a US$88 million UK-domiciled OEIC fund. Both funds invest in companies involved in the design, manufacture or sale of products and services used in the water and waste management sectors.

The team’s appointment is the second investment team hire by Regnan as a standalone responsible investment business within Pendal Group, JOHCM’s parent company. It follows the recruitment of the Regnan Equity Impact Solutions team, led by Tim Crockford, from Federated Hermes – International in December 2019. Regnan’s focus on delivering innovative and credible sustainable and impact investment solutions draws on over 20 years of experience at the frontier of responsible investment in engagement, advisory and research.

Alexandra Altinger, JOHCM CEO - UK, Europe & Asia, commented: “We are thrilled that Bertrand and Saurabh are joining Regnan and the wider group to launch our first thematic sustainable investment strategy. Their decision highlights the attractions of Regnan’s responsible investment pedigree and the value of its unique sustainability research platform. The team’s appointment demonstrates our ability to attract superior talent and progresses Regnan’s plans to become a global leader in the provision of responsible investment strategies and solutions.

Team biographies

Bertrand Lecourt, Senior Fund Manager
Bertrand Lecourt joined Fidelity International as a Portfolio Manager in 2018, where he launched and managed the Fidelity Funds Sustainable Water & Waste Fund. Previously he was a Portfolio Manager at Polar Capital and the founder and CIO of Aquilys Investment Management. Prior to moving to the buyside, Bertrand was Head of Equity Research, France at Deutsche Bank and a utilities analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and Goldman Sachs. He holds an MSc in International Finance from HEC School of Management, France, an MSc in Money, Banking and Finance from Birmingham University, UK, and a DEA in Monetary Economics from Orleans University, France.

Saurabh Sharma, Fund Manager
Saurabh Sharma joined Fidelity in 2014 as a Product Specialist before becoming an Assistant Portfolio Manager in February 2020. Previously, he held equity research analyst roles at Moody's Analytics and GlobalData. Saurabh has an MBA in Finance from IBS Hyderabad School in India and is an CAIA and ICFAI Charterholder.

Background on Regnan

Regnan is a responsible investment business within Pendal Group with a vision to grow its assets under management and become a global leader in providing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment strategies and solutions to clients.

Regnan exists to drive positive impact and investment for a sustainable future and works towards this by developing and promoting more principled, rigorous and outcome-oriented approaches in responsible investment. It has a long and proud heritage in engagement and advice on environmental, social and governance issues.

Regnan has produced pioneering research that has changed the way investors think about their wider responsibilities to society including advising influential organisations, such as the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).

Regnan can trace its roots back to a collaboration with Monash University, Melbourne, in 1996, with an investigation into overlooked ESG-related sources of risk and value for long-term shareholders in Australian public-listed companies. Regnan has since taken its ESG expertise globally. Its diverse experience in advocacy, regulation, academia and advising investment managers has enabled Regnan to offer responsible investment-related advisory, engagement and research services.

Pendal Group, including JOHCM and Regnan, manages £55.1 billion (US$75.2 billion) of assets (as at 31 December 2020).