Schroder Asian Alpha Plus – fund manager change

Abbas Barkhordar is now the fund’s lead manager.

Barkhordar joined Schroders as a graduate in 2007 and spent over a decade analysing companies in emerging and frontier markets. He moved to Schroders’ Asia team in 2020 and has worked closely with Sennitt since. He was appointed deputy manager of the fund in 2021 and promoted to co-manager in 2023.

Our view

Richard Sennitt is an experienced investor in Asian markets and we’re disappointed to see him step back from the fund. However, he remains a senior member of Schroders’ Asia team and continues to work closely with Barkhordar, including on the discussion of ideas for the fund. Final decision making for the fund now rests with Barkhordar though. Barkhordar also continues to receive support from Schroders’ team of dedicated Asian analysts.

We’ve met Barkhordar several times in the past few years, including since this announcement, and have a positive view of him as an investor. His input into the fund has grown steadily over the years and we feel becoming lead manager is a natural progression that reflects his influence and experience.

We expect all fund managers to have some differences in views, even when using the same investment process. As a result, there will likely be some changes to the fund over time but we’re comfortable the fund won’t deviate from its existing process.

This isn’t a recommendation to make any changes to a portfolio. Investors should make sure any investments match their investment goals and attitude to risk. If you're not sure if an investment is suitable for your circumstances, please seek advice. Investors should be aware that investing in emerging markets is a higher-risk approach and periods of volatility should be expected. The fund may use derivatives which, if used, can add risk.

We’ll continue to monitor the fund, including changes in investments or performance, and let investors know if our views change.