Antipodes seals deal to acquire Maple-Brown Abbott

Antipodes and Maple-Brown Abbott have finalised a deal which will see Antipodes acquire 100 per cent of the boutique fund manager, in its second acquisition deal in three months.

The agreement will see Maple-Brown Abbott’s existing global listed infrastructure, Australian value equities and Australian small companies investment teams continue to operate under the Maple-Brown Abbott brand but also alongside Antipodes’ global equities investment team.

The acquisition will not affect the current personnel working within Maple-Brown Abbott’s Australian value equities and Australian small companies investment teams, who will now report to Antipodes Managing Director and CEO, Andrew Findlay. The global listed infrastructure strategy will continue to be majority owned by its investment team led by Andrew Maple-Brown, Steven Kempler and Justin Lannen, and will continue to be managed as a discrete entity.

“Maple-Brown Abbott is a storied investment boutique with well-respected and well-rated strategies servicing clients globally. Our business model, backed by Pinnacle’s institutional-grade fund infrastructure and global distribution capabilities, provides a stable and focussed environment for the MBA teams to continue delivering for clients well into the future,” Findlay said.

“In partnership with the MBA teams, Antipodes is committed to building an enduring, diverse, and scalable investment management platform, alongside clients, staff, and the Pinnacle Group.”

Maple-Brown Abbott managed $9.1 billion in funds for a wide range of global and Australian institutional, wholesale, family office and retail clients. The acquisition will see Antipodes, a Pinnacle Investment Management affiliate, manage a combined $18.6 billion in assets.

“The Maple-Brown family, as majority owners of MBA, is proud of what the business has achieved in the past 40 years. Starting with the late Robert Maple-Brown AO and Christopher Abbott AM first managing $35 million back in 1984, we have expanded significantly, held true to our investment philosophies, and evolved to be the diversified business we are today,” Andrew Maple-Brown said.

“I have no doubt Maple-Brown Abbott is now positioned for this legacy to continue for many decades to come.

“The transition to new ownership will improve Maple-Brown Abbott’s market position in a highly competitive environment by operating under the enhanced Antipodes group structure and leveraging high quality distribution and support services.”

This is the second acquisition deal completed by Antipodes in as many months, after it struck a deal to take 100 per cent of Asian equity and fixed income boutique manager, Premium Asia Funds Management. Settled on 22 April, the transaction saw former co-founder Jonathan Wu move across to Antipodes as Investment Director – Asia.