Columbia Threadneedle's Bond and Tang on succession plans for the social bonds franchise

'Not a hard stop'

Following news that impact pioneer Simon Bond will step back from fund management duties at the end of June, Valeria Martinez speaks to the manager and his successor Tammie Tang about transition plans, the legacy of the social bonds funds and what is next for the £1.1bn franchise.

It was ten years ago this month that The Big Issue's Nigel Kershaw walked into a meeting room in the old Threadneedle offices in St Mary Axe. The meeting was with Simon Bond, then a long-standing investment grade corporate bond portfolio manager.  "The Big Issue came in and said they wanted to launch a product that shared their values, and I described what the bond market could be doing to further those values and deliver and optimise benefits for society," Bond tells Investment Week.  Following that meeting, the idea of launching the UK's first mainstream impact fixed income fund was...