Increasing urbanisation, an ageing and shrinking workforce and adaptation to climate change are examples of long-term structural shifts that will continue to change the way we live and work in the future. Climate change has been one of the most discussed themes over the past year, escalating given Australia’s ongoing bushfire emergency of 2019 and 2020. The impact of these events holds many and devastating impacts for human safety. The paper outlines both the impact on safety and where companies providing solutions are also offering investment opportunities.

While human security debates and policies have tended to focus more on human-made disasters, such as armed conflicts and human right abuses, the threats that people struggle with following a natural disaster are similar. With human lives at stake, demand is finally increasing for the technologies and services that can help people to find secure locations when their lives are threatened and to keep basic services operational ‘when the lights go out’.

Frederic Dupraz and Matthieu Rolin, portfolio managers of the Thematics Safety Strategy said, “Adaptation to climate change is one of the long-term structural shifts that we see taking place today, and that we’ll increasingly need to face tomorrow. It permeates the theme of human safety and securing human lives during a natural disaster.

The world, sadly, isn’t getting any safer. However, the rise of mass notification and localisation technology, among others, is helping us to respond more effectively to the increasing threats posed by intensifying hurricanes and other major critical events. This, in turn, can offer investment opportunities that will help not only sustain the development of these tools and solutions but may also provide investment returns in the long-term”.

Thematic Asset Management is a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, one of the world’s leading initiatives promoting responsible investments.

Download the white paper.

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Matthieu Rolin

Thematics Asset Management, an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers, is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthieu Rolin as Co-Manager of the Thematics Safety Fund.

Matthieu will work closely with Frédéric Dupraz, one of the founders and owners of Thematics Asset Management and manager of Thematics Safety Fund.

Matthieu will assume portfolio management and research responsibilities, identifying companies that offer products and services for the physical and digital protection of individuals, business and government. The companies the team selects have an attractive risk/return profile, driven by long-term secular trends and meeting non-financial criteria relating to ESG matters.

Matthieu was most recently a fund manager for a range of US equity and Global equity funds at Aviva Investors France. Before joining Aviva Investors, he was Head of Equities at SwissLife Banque Privée, managing both US and European Equity portfolios. Matthieu began his career as a multi-manager at Olympia Capital Management.

Mohammed Amor, CEO of Thematics Asset Management, commented: “We are very pleased with the investor interest received since we launched Thematics Asset Management earlier this year and are delighted to welcome Matthieu to our investment team as we continue to grow the business. At the heart of everything we do is the identification of long-term themes, underpinned by secular growth drivers that create the potential for thematic equity funds. Matthieu’s expertise across thematic investing will provide additional valuable insight to support the safety team in our decision-making and help drive returns for investors.”

Launched in March 2019, Thematics Asset Management provides investors with access to a wide range of high conviction and active global thematic strategies, including, Safety, Water, Artificial Intelligence & Robotics. The team’s investment philosophy focuses on identifying, developing and managing multi-decade investment themes fueled by four global primary forces that are transforming our world: demographic changes, globalization, innovation and scarcity. The investment team now includes six portfolio managers: Arnaud Bisshop, Frédéric Dupraz, Simon Gottelier, Karen Kharmandarian (who is also the CIO of Thematics AM), Matthieu Rolin and Nolan Hoffmeyer.

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Kharmandarian Karen

Natixis Investment Managers announces the creation of Thematics Asset Management, a new investment company¹ based in Paris, that joins the firm’s global lineup of investment affiliates and will provide investors with access to a wide range of high conviction and active global thematic strategies, including, Safety, Water, Artificial Intelligence & Robotics, starting in Q2, 2019.²

Thematics Asset Management will be led by Karen Kharmandarian, Chairman & CIO, and Mohammed Amor, Managing Partner and Head of Development. The investment team will also include Arnaud Bisschop, Frédéric Dupraz and Nolan Hoffmeyer, who joined Natixis Investment Managers in November 2018, and Simon Gottelier who joins as a senior portfolio manager on the Water strategy.

The management team consists of the above-named partners, specialised in global thematic investing, with a high-conviction, long-term approach and an emphasis on integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (‘ESG’) considerations throughout the investment decision-making process.

Prior to joining Natixis Investment Managers and over the past 11 years, the team has developed and launched a range of thematic funds and were together involved in the management of more than $21 billion of assets. The investment managers have a strong expertise in bottom-up stock picking, identifying the companies exposed to long-term secular growth themes that should deliver risk-adjusted returns superior to those of broader global equity markets. The team’s robust investment process will rely on broad investable universes and the building of portfolios based solely on the merits of the individual stocks. The result is a range of portfolios that reflect high levels of conviction and are global, unconstrained, benchmark-agnostic and socially responsible.

“The long-term structural changes underway across all sectors of the global economy pose unique challenges for our clients as for us. The launch of Thematics Asset Management, as part of our multi-affiliate asset management model exemplifies Natixis’ response turning a long-term trend from a challenge into an opportunity,” said François Riahi, Chairman of Natixis Investment Managers’ board and CEO of Natixis.

One of the world’s largest asset managers with €802b in AUM³ and powered by the expertise of 24 specialized investment managers, Natixis Investment Managers offers access to highly active, high conviction managers, each of whom concentrates on the investment styles and disciplines in which they have proven expertise, the ultimate objective is to help investors to build stronger and more diversified portfolios over the long term.

“The addition of Thematics Asset Management to our lineup of affiliated managers makes a substantial contribution to our global equity range and provides our investors around the world with access to distinctive thematic strategies. The team’s strong expertise, proven track record and highly-active investment approach fit perfectly within our multi-affiliate model,” commented Jean Raby, CEO of Natixis Investment Managers.

“Thematics Asset Management’s partners share an entrepreneurial spirit combined with an active management approach. Our edge lies in our focus in identifying, developing and managing multi-decade investment themes fueled by four global primary forces that are transforming our world: demographic changes, globalisation, innovation and scarcity. We are long-term by design in our investment style and in close alignment with our clients’ interest,” explained Karen Kharmandarian, Chairman & CIO, Thematics Asset Management.

“Natixis Investment Managers’ multi-affiliate model offers tremendous growth opportunities, and we are pleased to become an affiliate of one of the world’s leading asset managers. It allows us to access a truly global distribution network and to benefit from the support of a large financial services group while retaining our autonomy and focusing on what we do best: capturing investment opportunities and delivering sustainable returns for our investors,” said Mohammed Amor, Managing Partner and Head of Development, Thematics Asset Management.

The team recently launched a range of thematic strategies – Safety, Water, AI& Robotics, Meta strategy – under the Luxembourg-domiciled Natixis International Funds (Lux) I SICAV and new strategies will launch, including one over the course of the year.

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With €861 billion assets under management2 and powered by the expertise of 26 specialized investment managers, Natixis Investment Managers is one of the largest asset managers in the world. It offers access to highly active, high conviction managers globally, each of which concentrates on the investment styles and disciplines in which they have proven expertise, the ultimate objective being to help investors to build stronger and more diversified portfolios over the long term. Global thematic investing meets a growing demand from investors to ensure their portfolios address the crucial challenges and trends transforming our world.

Over the course of 11 years, this team of senior portfolio managers has developed and launched a range of thematic funds and were together involved in the management of more than €21 billion. In 2019, they will launch a new range of thematic strategies, including water, safety, artificial intelligence and robotics.

“These managers have been pioneers in global thematic investing. Their entrepreneurial mindset and highly active investment approach fit perfectly with our philosophy. The combination of a proven track record and strong expertise will make a substantial contribution to our global equity range,” commented Jean Raby, CEO of Natixis Investment Managers.

Arnaud Bisschop has more than 11 years of experience. Prior to joining Natixis Investment Managers, he was the co-manager of Pictet water (€5.2 billion of assets under management)3. Arnaud holds a master degree in engineering and economics from ‘Ecole Polytechnique’ and ‘Ecole Nationale du Genie Rural des Eaux et des Forets’.

Frédéric Dupraz, CFA, was the co-manager of Pictet security (€4.9 billion of assets under management)4 and has 9 years of experience. Frédéric holds a master degree in econometrics from the University of Geneva and a bachelor degree in engineering from the HES Geneva. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.

Nolan Hoffmeyer, CFA, AAA rated by Citywire, has 5 years of experience and was the co-manager of Pictet digital (€3.9 billion of assets under management)5. Nolan graduated from the University of St. Gallen with a bachelor in business administration and he holds a master in financial engineering from the University of Lausanne. He is also a CFA charterholder.

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