A well-regarded senior industry professional, Hodnett joins Epsilon from Maple-Brown Abbott where he was Head of Global Distribution. Prior to joining Maple-Brown Abbott in early 2020, Hodnett held senior distribution and sales roles at Pinnacle Investment Management and Eaton Vance.

Epsilon Founding Partner Joe Millward says Hodnett’s appointment reflects the heightened investor focus on the attractiveness of private credit as an asset class, with middle market direct lending being a significant and rapidly growing strategy in this category.

“Epsilon has experienced significant growth and investor interest in its middle market direct lending strategy early in its evolution.

“Continued, strong corporate borrower demand for private credit creates a significant investment opportunity for private lenders such as Epsilon and our investors. Epsilon has demonstrated its ability to finance some of Australia’s highest quality companies and support leading private equity investors as they seek funding for growth and event-driven purposes.

“In this environment, we continue to expand our team right across the firm to accommodate our growth. Corporate borrowers choose to partner with Epsilon as we provide thoughtful funding solutions with efficiency of execution and deep and ongoing engagement with our portfolio of borrowers.”

Millward adds “It is pleasing to note that we can attract a high calibre professional like Duncan to join our firm and assist in driving our strategy to be a leader in this segment of the market.

“Duncan will lead investor relations and the sales program to increase the awareness of significant investor opportunities that Epsilon presents across the spectrum of investors including private wealth advisory firms, multi-family offices, fund-of-funds, high-net-worth investors and institutional investors.”

Hodnett notes “I am delighted to be joining the team at Epsilon as the firm continues to see significant demand from both investors and borrowers. They have set-up a best in class investment and client service platform and have excellent origination capabilities which is proving attractive to investors across various channels.

“In today’s uncertain market environment, Epsilon’s strategy of targeting to deliver attractive returns whilst providing recurring income, capital preservation, low volatility in returns and low correlation to other asset classes through the cycle represents a compelling proposition.”

Epsilon launched the Epsilon Direct Lending Senior Loan Fund in June this year, underpinned by a successful two-year track record from its first fund, the Epsilon Direct lending Fund, that has seen Epsilon raise capital from a range of investors.

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He will be based in Sydney and report to head of global distribution Duncan Hodnett. Ironbark Asset Management will continue to be the distribution partner for Maple-Brown Abbott Global Listed Infrastructure for the wealth management channel.

Mr Srinivasan, who has more than 20 years’ experience in wealth management, was most recently head of strategic accounts at Colonial First State (CFS).

CEO and managing director Sophia Rahmani said Maple-Brown Abbott is expanding its internal distribution capability to further focus on building relationships in the wealth management channel for its existing Australian and Asian equity funds as well as the recently launched Australian Value Opportunities and Asian Dividend Growth funds.

“This is our first internal role dedicated to building our presence and profile in Australia covering financial advisers, dealer groups, platforms and key accounts.

“Building on nearly 40 years’ managing Australian equities and almost 20 years’ in Asian equities, we have a rich heritage providing innovative investment solutions for our clients and feel we are in a good position to add value to clients’ investment portfolios.

“Mr Srinivasan’s track record as a strategic sales leader in the wealth management industry and his strong relationships across market segments make him ideal to help us form strong relationships and build on our existing presence,” Ms Rahmani said.

Maple-Brown Abbott is also launching a global emerging market equity strategy which is expected be available to investors by mid-2022.

Mr Srinivasan joined CFS in 2014, working as a strategic account manager before moving into the head of strategic accounts role in 2018. Prior to this, he was national key account manager at Blackrock and previously worked as national account manager at Barclays Global Investors and adviser development manager at BT.

He has a Bachelor of Economics and Marketing from Macquarie University and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance from FINSIA/Kaplan.

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In the new role, Mr Hodnett is responsible for all Maple-Brown Abbott’s business development, client service, marketing and product strategy activities both in Australia and overseas, across its institutional, wholesale and retail markets.  He is based in Sydney and reports to Sophia Rahmani, chief executive officer and managing director.

Ms Rahmani said that Mr Hodnett’s appointment is a key step in the firm’s ongoing evolution and expansion, and an important investment in the business’s future growth.

“Duncan has a wealth of experience across a range of asset classes which will be fundamental in supporting Maple-Brown Abbott in its long-term growth strategy and as we actively seek opportunities to expand both organically and through selective partnerships.

“Part of his role will be to further diversify our client base across markets both locally and globally.  We already have clients in 24 countries and Duncan’s international experience, strong existing client relationships, and proven track record in leading a distribution strategy and raising funds, while also providing exceptional client service, will be invaluable,” Ms Rahmani said

Mr Hodnett has over 17 years’ experience in financial services in Australian, European and US markets. He joins Maple-Brown Abbott from Pinnacle Investment Management when he was director of institutional sales, with geographic responsibility in Australia and the USA.  Prior to this he spent seven years with Eaton Vance Investment Management, including as head of Europe for the institutional business, and head of Australia and New Zealand.  He has also worked for Macquarie Group, BT Financial Group and Westpac Banking Corporation.

His appointment follows that of Ms Rahmani in late 2019, which was a key step in the firm’s ongoing development by appointing a managing director whose sole focus is managing the business.

Mr Hodnett will commence with Maple-Brown Abbott on Monday 30 March, 2020.

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