Apollo's Brann reveals IFA partnership plans as boutique triples AUM

Targeting ten partnerships

Founding partner and fund manager at Apollo Multi Asset Management, Steve Brann, has explained how the firm has tripled its assets under management (AUM) over three years by building partnerships with adviser firms, and launching a passives-only range, as well as taking on offshore mandates.

Brann said the business went through a difficult time when AUM bottomed at £100m three years ago, which led it to create more strategic partnerships with IFAs. "The multi-manager sector was very competitive and we were up against the big boys - money was flooding into Standard Life Investments' GARS [Global Absolute Return Strategies fund] at that point. "But those kinds of strategies have pretty much failed people in what they promised. We moved away from fund sales to concentrate on model portfolios and discretionary fund managers (DFMs). "We created joint ventures with key IFAs ...