- The Rugby World Cup starts on 8 September
- A successful team – much like a successful investment portfolio – needs a diverse mix of talent
- Investors must identify funds’ strengths to determine their portfolio positions
- HL Senior Analyst Joseph Hill picks the fund managers fit for a first 15
Joseph Hill, Senior Investment Analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown
“With two weeks to go until the Rugby World Cup, the biggest talent in the game is getting ready to put their all their training and experience into practice – with the aim of coming out on top. A successful rugby team requires 15 people at the top of their game, performing a distinct role, to pull together for glory. It is not a stretch to see the analogy for a successful investment portfolio. Diversification is key to profitability – and winning a tournament. You want different players that excel at different times and in different positions, some to provide ballast in uncertainty, others to add risk and drive. By diversifying across a range of asset classes, sectors, styles and geographies, you can help to maintain your balance during different market conditions.”
Head Coach Joseph Hill’s first 15 fund managers:
| Number | Position | Player | Rationale |
| 1 | Prop | Martin Lau FSSA Asia Focus | A conservative investor at heart, Lau offers the pack some much needed stability to build from. |
| 2 | Hooker | Alex Wright Fidelity Special Situations | A talented stock picker, you can rely on this manager to hit their line out targets. |
| 3 | Prop | Anthony Cross Liontrust UK Growth | A core contribution to this team from one of the architects of the economic advantage process |
| 4 | Second row | Sebastian Lyon Troy Trojan | Boasting a strong record of capital preservation, you can rely on this veteran’s ability to avoid being driven backwards. |
| 5 | Second row | Charlotte Yonge Troy Trojan Ethical | With a steely focus on achieving lower volatility than global stock markets, Yonge is calm and collected when others aren’t. |
| 6 | Flanker | Stephen Snowden Artemis Corporate Bond | Competitive, experienced and tenacious – all qualities a flanker needs to get the team on the front foot. |
| 7 | Flanker | Grace Le Artemis Corporate Bond | With an eye for the right bond, Le is always primed to turn over the next opportunity. |
| 8 | Number 8 | Adrian Frost Artemis Income | After seeing it all through a multi decade career, few are better placed to assess the risks & opportunities from behind the scrum. |
| 9 | Scrum half | Eva Sun Wai M&G Global Macro Bond | A rising star with energy and intelligence who’s been undaunted by stepping up early on. |
| 10 | Fly half | Tom Slater Baillie Gifford American | A dose of exciting high growth potential to disrupt the opposition defence and ignite the backline. |
| 11 | Wing | Lloyd Harris Premier Miton Corporate Bond Monthly Income | Managing a corporate bond fund with an 300-500% annual turnover rate, this manager won’t be shy in coming off his wing hunting for work. |
| 12 | Inside centre | Nick Kirrage Schroder Global Recovery | A disciplined value investor through thick and thin, Kirrage won’t have a problem sticking to the crash ball running line. |
| 13 | Outside centre | Johanna Kyrklund Schroder Managed Balanced | With one of the sharpest multi asset minds in the industry, Kyrklund has an eye for a valuation gap, whichever market it might appear in. |
| 14 | Wing | Claudia Calich M&G Emerging Markets Bond | Emerging markets expert Calich is used to dealing with the unexpected in pursuit of positive returns. |
| 15 | Full back | Jim Leaviss M&G Global Macro Bond | Well versed in surveying all corners of the bond market, you can rely on Leaviss to be positioned in the right place at the right time. |
