Liontrust Asset Management Plc has completed the acquisition of the fund management business of Occam Asset Management.

The acquisition fulfills Liontrust’s publicly stated objective of expanding into the fast growing Asia and Emerging Markets asset classes to complement its existing UK and Europe fund management capability.

Occam brings the management of four Dublin-based funds and two Cayman Islands-domiciled hedge funds to Liontrust, with the funds being rebranded and three of them being renamed.

The Dublin funds are: Liontrust Asia Absolute Return (formerly Occam Asia Absolute Return), Liontrust Asia (Occam Asia Focus), Liontrust Pan European (Occam Europe Focus) and Liontrust Emerging Markets Absolute Return (Occam Emerging Markets Opportunities). The Cayman Islands funds are: Liontrust Sorbus and Liontrust Diversity.

The Liontrust Asia and Liontrust Asia Absolute Return funds are managed by Mark Williams while Eoghan Flanagan and James Mellersh manage the Liontrust Emerging Markets Absolute Return fund. Before joining Occam, Eoghan Flanagan was co-founder of the highly successful Thames River Nevsky team and James Mellersh was a senior member of the team. Mark Williams managed the Friends Provident International GIP Far East Sicav and F&C Pacific Growth funds.

James Inglis-Jones and Gary West have taken over as managers of the Liontrust Pan European and Liontrust Sorbus funds.

John Ions (pictured), Chief Executive of Liontrust, says: “This highly complementary acquisition marks the latest step in a successful 18 month phase of growth for Liontrust and the start of our next stage of expansion. Occam provides Liontrust with two of the faster growing asset classes by adding Asia and Global Emerging Markets funds to Liontrust’s existing UK and European range and two experienced and highly respected fund management teams.

“Occam brings a number of experienced and talented individuals to Liontrust. Jonathan Hughes-Morgan and David Sheppard, co-founders of Occam, have many years of experience of running businesses and identifying and recruiting fund managers.

“Jonathan, David and their sales team strengthen the distribution capability at Liontrust, notably in continental Europe, the Middle East and other international markets, to supplement Liontrust’s traditional focus on UK-based investors.”