The Melior Australian Impact Fund has been awarded a ‘Recommended’ rating and is the first Australian large companies fund to be recognised as ‘Impact’ by Zenith Investment Partners.
The rating by Zenith follows the recent naming of Melior by the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA) as a “Responsible Investment Leader”, ranking 2nd out of 198 investment managers.
Melior’s chief executive, Lucy Steed, said the rating by Zenith was a welcome endorsement of the rigorous impact, ESG and financial frameworks and advocacy approach employed by Melior since launching its Australian Impact Fund more than two years ago.
“We are delighted to achieve a Recommended rating in our first Zenith review and to be the first Australian large companies manager to meet Zenith’s impact fund requirements,” Ms Steed said. “We believe that purpose driven companies with strong ESG and financial credentials have the potential to achieve superior returns and our approach has consistently demonstrated this.”
Since its July 2019 inception, Melior’s Australian Impact Fund has returned +37.1%, outperforming the ASX300 by +16.3% (net of fees)1 as at 30 September 2021. Over its 2-year track record, the fund has also delivered impressive performance against mainstream large-cap peers, with consistent top quartile performance2.
In its report, Zenith praised Melior’s engagement with companies, describing its approach to ESG as “comprehensive” and its differentiated investment approach and ESG investment framework to be “market leading”.
Melior, which has quadrupled funds under management in the past year, announced last month that it had secured Atlassian’s Mike Cannon-Brookes and his wife, Annie, as cornerstone investors and equity holders in the business through their private investment vehicle, Grok Ventures. The manager has recently moved into the adviser market with their impact fund now available on platforms such as Macquarie Wrap, Hub24 and Netwealth.
Melior was launched in 2018 by Ms Steed and CIO Tim King after the duo identified a gap in the market for an investment product that delivered positive social and environmental impact which contributed to the Sustainable Development Goals as well as competitive returns.
Melior is also backed by Adamantem Capital Managing Directors, Rob Koczkar and Anthony Kerwick, who are majority shareholders.
1 Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
2 Peer group: Morningstar Category – Australian Large Growth, Blend and Value.
The Trust Company (RE Services) Limited ABN 45 003 278 831, AFSL 235 150 (Perpetual) is the responsible entity of Melior Australian Impact Fund (the Trust). This information has been prepared by Melior Investment Management Pty Ltd ABN 27 150 646 996, AFSL 416 146 (Melior), the investment manager of the Trust. The information is of a general nature only and has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision, you should consider obtaining professional investment advice that takes into account your personal circumstances and should read the current product disclosure statement (PDS) of the Trust. The PDS and target market determination for the Trust is available from www.meliorim.com.au. Neither Perpetual nor Melior guarantees repayment of capital or any particular rate of return from the Trust. All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute judgments of Melior as at the date of the report and are subject to change without notice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Whilst Melior believes the information contained in these materials are based on reliable information, no warranty is given to its accuracy and persons relying on this information do so at their own risk. To the extent permitted by law, no liability is accepted for any loss or damage as a result of any reliance on this information.
The Zenith Investment Partners (ABN 27 103 132 672, AFS Licence 226872) (“Zenith”) rating (assigned PIM4806AU October 2021) referred to in this piece is limited to “General Advice” (s766B Corporations Act 2001) for Wholesale clients only. This advice has been prepared without taking into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any individual, including target markets of financial products, where applicable, and is subject to change at any time without prior notice. It is not a specific recommendation to purchase, sell or hold the relevant product(s). Investors should seek independent financial advice before making an investment decision and should consider the appropriateness of this advice in light of their own objectives, financial situation and needs. Investors should obtain a copy of, and consider the PDS or offer document before making any decision and refer to the full Zenith Product Assessment available on the Zenith website. Past performance is not an indication of future performance. Zenith usually charges the product issuer, fund manager or related party to conduct Product Assessments. Full details regarding Zenith’s methodology, ratings definitions and regulatory compliance are available on our Product Assessments and at Fund Research Regulatory Guidelines.