Luxembourg/London – September 22, 2021 – BlackRock, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Pictet Asset Management, and Robeco were the major category winners, while UBS Asset Managers and Candriam Investors Group are among the Fastest Risers of the 2021 Broadridge Distribution Achievement Awards. The awards were presented at the ALFI Global Distribution Conference taking place virtually on 21 and 22 September 2021.

The environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and socially responsible investing (SRI) award saw Robeco named as leading group for the fourth year running, while Natixis, thanks in part to a number of its subsidiaries being particularly active in this space, was named as the Fastest Riser in this category.

Founded five years ago to recognise excellence in fund distribution, the Broadridge Distribution Achievement Awards celebrate the hard work and resourcefulness of marketing, sales, and client service teams in the European fund distribution market. The diversity of this year’s winners reflects the talent and enterprise of asset manager teams working across the industry.

“The nominees and winners of this year’s awards have all exhibited the focus and agility necessary to rise to the top in a fiercely competitive marketplace, while differentiating their value proposition to provide a meaningful, best-in-class service to their clients,” said Lynn Pattinson, Senior Editor, Broadridge Global Insights.

“Over the past three decades, Luxembourg has played a crucial role in opening up markets for international fund distribution and facilitating access to investments globally. The past twelve months have been nothing short of extraordinary: an entire year’s worth of decisions were influenced by the pandemic in one form or another. Today, we honour the asset managers who have contributed towards raising the standards of asset management in a post-pandemic world,” said Camille Thommes, Director General of The Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI).

The awards are based on responses from over 800 of Europe’s leading third-party fund selectors from Broadridge’s Fund Buyer Focus interviews conducted in the 12-month period to June 2021.The interviews seek to pinpoint the changing demands of Europe’s key fund distribution influencers, and to identify the fund providers that are delivering best-in-class standards. These fund selectors represent around €3trn of third-party client assets in Europe and provide a representative voice of investors in the ten markets they serve.   

Award categories and winners:

Sales Services Award

Overall Winner: J.P. Morgan Asset Management
Fastest Riser: Candriam

As investors increasingly come to accept a wider definition of value, the sales–client relationship continues to evolve with today’s fund selectors seeking a more nuanced relationship that spans deep technical expertise, responsiveness, and a clear understanding of individual business and client needs. J.P. Morgan Asset Management remained the leader in this category once again this year — continuing to set the standard when it comes to delivering the optimal service offering.

At the same time, Candriam Investors Group’s win in the Fastest Riser Award category highlights the skill and ability of smaller managers to provide the outstanding, tailor-made service that clients value.

Innovation & Adaptation to Market Change Award

Overall Winner: Pictet Asset Management
Fastest Riser: UBS Asset Management

The world has never moved more quickly than it has in the last 18 months. That is why we have introduced the Innovation & Adaptation to Market Change Award. This new category recognises the outstanding achievement of organisations that have risen to new challenges and pioneered innovative solutions to an evolving marketplace. It’s no surprise that a firm with Pictet Asset Management’s track record of forward-thinking secured the top prize in this category.

The inventive work of UBS Asset Managers was also rewarded with the Fastest Riser Award in this category.

ESG/SRI Award

Overall Winner: Robeco
Fastest Riser: Natixis Investment Managers

The ESG/SRI space has grown exponentially over recent years, as a new breed of investors prioritise funds that will generate positive global impact. In the wake of growing concerns over so-called ‘green-washing’, managers and products face increased scrutiny, and must work harder than ever to exhibit their social credentials. Robeco demonstrated its authenticity, and the continuing role that its legacy as an early pioneer of ESG and thematic investing plays in its current strategy, as the firm held on to the top award for a record fourth consecutive year.

In recent years, smaller players have dominated this category while the large global houses, particularly from the US, have lagged. Natixis Investment Managers’ stellar work in the ESG and socially responsible investment field carried the group to the Fastest Riser Award for this category.

Brand Award

Overall Winner: BlackRock
Fastest Riser: Morgan Stanley Investment Management

One of the key challenges shared by all firms, big and small, is that of rallying the multi-faceted components of a company’s brand to convey a clear and cohesive mission. The nominees and winners in this year’s awards displayed these characteristics. BlackRock held onto its spot at the top this year, as the firm’s supermarket-style offering, augmented by its newer ESG products, helped it maintain its clear lead with European selectors.

Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley Investment Management’s work promoted their expertise across public and private markets worldwide, in single-sector, multi-asset and custom solutions.

Notes to editors:

Broadridge Distribution Achievement Awards

The Broadridge Distribution Achievement Awards are based on Broadridge’s authoritative Fund Buyer Focus fund selector survey and the interview results collected during the period between 1 July 2020–30 June 2021. This regular survey, which has been running for more than a decade, is based on in-depth telephone interviews, in local language, with over 800 fund selectors from 10 European countries every year. These fund selectors account for €3trn of third-party assets — or an estimated 70% of accessible third-party assets in Europe. The focus of the interviews is to provide feedback to asset managers on which fund groups these selectors prefer to work with overall and to identify which firms offer superior support in the categories of marketing, sales and account management, product quality, brand, and pricing.

Fund selectors are asked to nominate their three preferred suppliers in each category on an unprompted basis. The top supplier is awarded three points; the second, two points; and the third, one point. This data is then aggregated to produce a ranking of named fund groups that can be compared from one time period to another. The awards are based on the latest rankings available – the period is the 12 months to June 2021.

Fastest Risers are calculated from a comparison between June 2021 data and the previous 12 months to June 2020.

The Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry(ALFI) represents the face and voice of the Luxembourg asset management and investment fund community, championing mainstream, private assets and sustainable investing. ALFI seeks to promote Luxembourg’s fund sector internationally, and to cultivate for the benefit of its members a collaborative, dynamic and innovative ecosystem underpinned by the most robust regulatory framework. ALFI’s ambition is to empower investors to meet their life goals.

Created in 1988, the Association today represents over 1,500 Luxembourg domiciled investment funds, asset management companies and a wide range of business that serve the sector. These include depositary banks, fund administrators, transfer agents, distributors, legal firms, consultants, tax advisory firms, auditors and accountants, specialised IT and communication companies. Luxembourg is the largest fund domicile in Europe and a worldwide leader in cross-border distribution of funds. Luxembourg domiciled investment funds are distributed in more than 70 countries around the world.

For more information about ALFI, please visit www.alfi.lu.