SLI’s Moore Scotland’s top fund manager for fifth month in a row

Standard Life Investments’ Thomas Moore has been ranked 41st in the table of 4,017 European fund managers, making him the top Scottish fund manager for a fifth consecutive month.

Moore, 40, manages SLI’s £1 billion UK Equity Income Unconstrained fund which has climbed back from 51st place the previous month, having hit 21st in the table to the end of August.

The result for Moore comes as Scottish-linked managers continued to perform better overall in the tougher market environment which took hold in the summer, with 15 Scots-based AAA-rated managers overall.

Moore joined SLI in 2002 and the UK equities team in 2006, taking over the unconstrained fund in 2009.

He has a BA in economics and politics from Exeter University and began his career in 1998 at Schroders.

His fund has about 50 per cent in financials and consumer services and 30 per cent in industrials and consumer goods.

But SLI had to accept only a bookending of the top 10 as it also took the ninth and tenth places.

The Edinburgh-based investment house had Jacqueline Lowe and Iain McLeod, co-managers of the Dynamic Distribution fund, both ranked at 286 overall.

Among the other best-performing fund managers in houses with a significant Scottish presence and making up the top three Scottish places behind Mr Moore, were Ben Russon, who runs four Franklin UK equity funds at 96 up from 119, and Sashi Reddy, down from 87, manager of the Asia Pacific Sustainability and Indian Subcontinent funds at First State.

After the top trio, Audrey Ryan of Kames Capital, comes in at 107 down from 101, whose funds include the UK Opportunities, Ethical Equity and Ethical Cautious Managed.

Top 10 regulars Colin Morton, co-manager of Mr Russon’s funds at Franklin, and Jacob de Tusch-Lec, who runs the global income and monthly distribution products at Artemis, occupy fifth and sixth places.

Their respective colleagues at Franklin and Artemis Richard Bullas and Peter Saacke follow behind.

The other AAA-rated managers in the Citywire rating, for three-year performance to the end of October were SLI’s Colette Conboy, Iain Wells and Douglas Scott at Kames, SVM Asset Management’s founders Colin McLean and Margaret Lawson, and Tim Steer the veteran manager of Artemis UK Growth, who is handing the fund over to Ed Legget, Mr Moore’s former co-manager at SLI.

Among the 10 new entrants to the table is past table-topper and SLI small company manager Harry Nimmo, ranking 125 in the Scottish list and 3,829 overall.

Franklin Templeton continues to lead the way with 25 listed managers, while SLI and Baillie Gifford both claim 18.

Artemis has 16, Aberdeen, Kames Capital and First State have 10.