Insparo Asset Management has appointed Glenda Levin as head of marketing in a move to broaden the firm’s investor base.

Levin will primarily be responsible for expanding Insparo’s existing investor base in the UK and Europe. In addition, she will lead a dedicated marketing drive targeting new international investors, particularly in the US.  She will also play a major role in the design and marketing of new products for the firm.

Levin’s appointment comes in a period of accelerated growth for both Insparo’s funds and the regions they invest in. Alongside the firm’s exceptional YTD performance, the positive regional outlook makes this an ideal time to bring the funds to new investors. Sub-Saharan Africa was the only part of the world to enjoy an upgrade when the IMF recently rolled out its latest growth forecasts for 2013.

Insparo’s flagship Africa and Middle East Fund is up 16.5 per cent YTD and has made positive returns of 44 per cent since inception, compared to a DROP of almost 50 per cent recorded by the MSCI Frontier market index over the same period. The Insparo Africa Equity Fund, the firms’ second offering, has had a year to date performance of 21 per cent.

Levin has previously worked as a UK mid-cap senior portfolio manager with Equitable Life, where she was responsible for managing portfolios of almost GBP8bn across a range of sectors, and at UBS where she was director of the firm’s corporate advisory group. Most recently she spent eight years at Pioneer Alternative Investments as head of equity strategy for fund of funds. In this role, she was influential in increasing exposure to equity funds for multi-strategy products located across Europe, US and Asia. Levin started her career as client liaison manager at Allan Gray Investments in Cape Town.

Mohammed Hanif, chief executive of Insparo, says: “Glenda is immensely experienced with an extensive background in long-only investment, hedge funds and allocation for fund-of-funds. Her previous experience with Pioneer, Equitable Life and UBS will be a great asset for the firm and her substantial investment network will be fundamental to the continued growth of our funds. Her expertise will be key in targeting new regions and new investors.”

Levin says: “It’s an exciting time to be joining Insparo and I’m keen to build on the recent performance of the funds and the positive outlook projected for frontier markets in the future. After a relatively volatile period in the markets in 2011, frontier markets offer the potential to produce alpha and a differentiated return stream for investors globally.”