Morningstar's Director of Fund Research for Europe and Asia, Christopher J. Traulsen, this evening unveiled the winners of the second annual Morningstar European Fund Awards at an event in Vienna held as part of the inaugural Morningstar Investment Conference Europe.
The Morningstar European Fund Awards draw from the expertise of Morningstar’s European fund analyst team to recognise fund managers in Europe who have demonstrated excellence in the past year and who have proven to be great stewards for shareholders’ capital over the long term. Awards were presented in two distinct categories, one to Morningstar Fund Manager of the Year: European Equity and one to Morningstar Fund Manager of the Year: Global Equity.
Morningstar Fund Manager of the Year: European Equity
Morningstar Fund Manager of the Year: European Equity was awarded to Cédric de Fonclare for Jupiter European Special Situations. Congratulating de Fonclare as an excellent fund manager who fully deserves this award, Christopher Traulsen said: “Cédric de Fonclare is highly experienced and has a flair for bottom-up stock selection informed by a strong awareness of the macro environment." He added that "de Fonclare consistently applies a distinctive style, and has delivered for investors across different market environments during his tenure. In 2010, he guided Jupiter European Special Situations to a return of 16.03% (EUR), a top-quintile showing in the Morningstar Europe ex UK Large-Cap Equity category; while in 2008’s tumultuous market he kept the fund’s losses to less than 85% of its peers’. Over the course of his tenure, he has delivered strong performance for investors whilst limiting downside risk."
Morningstar Fund Manager of the Year: Global Equity
Morningstar Fund Manager of the Year: Global Equity was awarded to Graham French for M&G Global Basics. “Graham French is a truly skilled manager who is clearly passionate about delivering excellent long-term returns to his investors," commented Traulsen. "With more than 20 years at M&G, he has a level of experience that’s all too rare in the fund world, and is backed by a strong and stable team. His investment approach is long term and focused on selecting companies that allocate capital sensibly and are respectful of shareholders, which is consistent with his focus on creating value for fund shareholders as well as protecting their capital." Turning his focus to the fund that French has managed for over a decade, Traulsen said: "In the M&G Global Basics fund, he seeks truly long-term opportunities in the building blocks of the global economy. As a result, the fund has a higher risk proposition as his themes can be out of favour at times, but French has the patience to ride out short-term underperformance, secure in his assessment of a stock’s ultimate potential. In 2010, French delivered a top-decile return of 32.39% (EUR) relative to his Morningstar Global Small/Mid-Cap Equity peers, and over the past decade, has handily outperformed that group, delivering a return that ranks in the category’s top 5.0%.”
For more information on the two winning managers and the others who narrowly missed out on the awards, read Morningstar Names Nominees for Qualitative Awards. You can also catch up on last year's winners here.