Schroders wins big at Fund Manager of the Year Awards

Schroder Investment Management has taken out the top gong at Financial Newswire and SQM Research’s Fund Manager of the Year Awards 2025, following two investment category wins and a further three finalist nods.

Awarded at a gala dinner held in Sydney last night, the fund manager also took out the top prize in the International Equities – Large Cap and Australian Fixed Income categories and was recognised as a finalist in the Multi-Sector Growth, Responsible Investments (ESG) and Australian Fixed Income categories.

Morningstar Investment Management was honoured as the highly commended Fund Manager of the Year for 2025, joining BlackRock, Macquarie Asset Management and State Street Investment Mangement as finalists.

The awards recognised 40 highly commended and winner recipients across 20 investment categories, with Investors Mutual earning its second consecutive highly commended in the Australian Equities – Small/Mid Cap category and Trilogy Funds and GDA Group going head to head for the second year in a row in the Direct Property category, as highly commended and winner respectively.

The 2025 edition also introduced the individual BDM of the Year category for the first time, with MLC Asset Management’s Tim Higgins and CareSuper’s Stacey Mitchell honoured as highly commended, and Dani Dy (formerly of Futurity Investment Group) taking out the top prize.

The full list of winners and highly commended recipients includes:

BDM of the Year 2025

• HIGHLY COMMENDED: Tim Higgins, Investment Specialist (BDM) – Multi Asset Investments, MLC Asset Management
• WINNER: Dani Dy, Business Development Manager, Futurity Investment Group
• Jenny Pang, Director, Regional Manager – NSW & ACT, ClearBridge Investments
• Nick Baring, Key Account Manager – VIC & TAS, Pan-Tribal Asset Management
• Andrew Evans, Senior Manager Client Partnerships, La Trobe Financial
• David La Greca, Senior Manager Client Partnerships, La Trobe Financial
• Joy Yacoub, Head of Distribution, Pella Funds Management
• HIGHLY COMMENDED: Stacey Mitchell, Business Development Manager (Advice), CareSuper
• Kristina Benkotic, Head of Strategic Growth & Partnerships, Activam Group
• John Rush, Business Development Manager, Allan Gray

Australian Equities – Large Cap

• Acadian Australian Equity Long Short Fund – Class A
• Macquarie Australian Shares Fund
• Macquarie Australian Enhanced Plus Equities – Managed Fund
• Morningstar Australian Shares Fund – Class B
• WINNER: RQI Australian Value – Class A
• RQI Investors Australian Shares MPS Fund
• HIGHLY COMMENDED: Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF

Australian Equities – Small/Mid Cap