Australian Ethical fills new senior global equities role

Responsible investment firm Australian Ethical has announced the appointment of Natalie Tam to the newly created role of portfolio manager of systematic equities.

As part of the new role, Tam will be responsible for Aus Ethical’s diversified shares and international shares funds, adopting a ‘systematic equities’ approach.

Tam joins Aus Ethical after a short stint at Perpetual, where she served five months as portfolio manager of direct equities, overseeing $5 billion in funds.

Prior to joining Perpetual, Tam notched up more than 18 years at abrdn, taking on a number of senior roles within the Australian arm of the global investment firm.

As deputy head of Australian equities, her most recent role at abrdn, Tam oversaw and was instrumental in the launch, back in April 2021, of the firm’s Sustainable Australian Equity fund. She was also concurrently PM for abrdn’s Australian Small Companies Fund.

Commenting on his latest senior hire, Australian Ethical chief investment officer Ludovic Theau recognised Tam’s “depth of experience in equities and portfolio management” making her “the ideal appointment for this newly created position.”

He added that Tam’s appointment reflects the firm’s “focus on strengthening our investment team across all asset classes”.

“We’re building out a systematic equities platform that we believe will become an increasingly integral part of Australian Ethical’s overall investment offering.”

Australian Ethical currently has 11 managed funds in market, including its Australian Shares, International Shares, High-Growth, Emerging Companies, and Fixed Income funds.

The ESG-specialist investment and superannuation firm and certified B Corp has also launched a slew of new products over the last year, including a High Conviction fund, a Moderate fund and, as of last month, a new Conservative fund.