ML Capital and Ardsley Partners are repositioning the Ardsley Partners US Equity UCITS Fund to take advantage of increasing investor interest in the renewable energy sector.
The aim is to capture the secular growth opportunities presented as global energy production growth continues to shift towards non-carbon based renewable sources.
Launched on the MontLake UCITS Platform in April 2014, the Ardsley Partners US Equity UCITS Fund has typically focussed on technology, telecoms, life sciences, traditional energy and renewable energy companies. However, as of April 2015, the fund's portfolio will now be comprised of fossil-free companies solely within the renewables space. The fund will be managed in line with Ardsley Partners Renewable Energy Fund, launched back in 2006, which has substantially outperformed both its benchmark and the S&P over this period.
The UCITS fund will be managed by Spencer Hempleman, who is assuming responsibility from Philip Hempleman, as the next step in Ardsley's succession plan. The fund will concentrate its investments on one of the fastest growing segments in the energy sector, in companies seeking to solve the global energy and natural resources problem.
Spencer Hempleman has more than 12 years' experience successfully investing in this area and has been the Portfolio Manager of the Ardsley Partners Renewable Energy Fund since launch, with more than USD120 million AuM. Spencer earned his MBA at New York University, his BA at Tufts and began his career in 2002 as an energy analyst. He identified an exceptional investment opportunity and began focusing on so-called renewable energy companies in 2004. Spencer is a well-known investment expert in the renewable energy field and is frequently invited to speak at SRI, ESG and Impact Investing symposiums as well as at the U.S. Department of Energy and the White House.
Hempleman says: "We truly believe focusing our investment capabilities here on our renewable energy strategy will be most valuable for our clients. We have seen a growing amount of investor interest in the sector as clean tech companies have transitioned to profitability. The forecasted growth in renewable energy, as a percentage of global energy capacity additions, provides us further confidence that this refinement of our UCITS strategy is timely and appropriate."
Cyril Delamare, CEO of ML Capital, says: "ML Capital have supported Ardsley with this recent repositioning and echo Spencer's view that managing the portfolio in line with their existing renewable energy fund provides investors with a more attractive product offering and illustrates the growth of specialist investment funds within the alternative UCITS space."
