Investment Conundrums: Kames fixed income team 'steps up to plate' amid departures and outflows

How the firm is 'back on the front foot'

Kames Capital's fixed income investment team has "stepped up to the plate" in pursuit of outperformance in 2019 following a spate of senior departures at the end of 2018 that contributed to heavy outflows this year, according to head of fixed income Adrian Hull.

The firm saw a wave of departures in November last year, including co-head of fixed income Stephen Snowden and head of high yield David Ennett, leading to a string of new hires and internal promotions. The departures of long-standing members of the team contributed to hundreds of millions of pounds in outflows across the firm's bond funds this year, primarily stemming from withdrawals from fund selectors, according to Hull. He said that while the overall investment framework has not changed since the departures, the Kames fixed income team has embraced greater "freedom, responsibility...