Page 25 - Investment Advisor July/August 2022

By Ginger Szala, Dinah Wisenberg Brin and Jeff Berman

reat stock picking was a key asset for almost all the active man- The Asset Managers of the
agers who took home an Envestnet/Investment Advisor Asset Year Award Winners for
G Manager of the Year award. “I think nine out of 10 managers we 2022 are (by category):
rewarded were because of excellent stock selection,” said Envestnet Chief
Investment Strategist Tim Clift. SUSTAINABLE AND OVERALL
Yet last year’s double-digit stock gain wasn’t the only reason these active MANAGER OF THE YEAR
managers did well. Pandemic reflux and percolating inflation still made • Schroders — Hartford-Schroders
2021 a challenging year, so the differentiator wasn’t just performance, but International Stock Fund
“looking at managers that continually are able to produce alpha in a consis-
tent manner” over a longer time period, Clift added. LARGE CAP EQUITY
And while quantitative factors such as performance and risk management • Alley Company — Alley Dividend Portfolio
matter, “it’s really the qualitative factors that we focus on more. What is their • Wakefield Asset Management —
true investment process? What is their investment thesis?” he explained. Wakefield Large Cap Equity
The 18th Annual Asset Manager of Year program highlights a variety of
managers — this year included a former pro hockey player and even some SMALL/MID CAP EQUITY
repeat winners. Wakefield Asset Management won the award in the Large • Congress Asset Management Company —
Cap category this year as well as in 2018. (The category has two winners.) Congress Mid Cap Growth
In addition, the Overall Asset Manager of the Year, Schroders, whose fund • Tributary Capital Management —
won in the Sustainable category this year, won in the Global, International Tributary Small Cap
and Emerging Market Equity category last year.
This year there were 10 categories, with Specialty making a reappearance FIXED INCOME
after being on hiatus since 2017. Clift said sometimes there just isn’t a group • Federated Hermes — Federated Hermes
that stands out in this area, but this year the infrastructure stock specialty Total Return Bond Fund
group at Lazard fit the bill.
As in previous years, 27 Envestnet | PMC analysts, who “spend all GLOBAL, INTERNATIONAL,
day vetting these managers, trying to find the best ones, going on-site, EMERGING MARKET EQUITY
doing meetings with these managers and checking in with them every • Acadian Asset Management —
quarter,” said Clift, winnowed down from hundreds in each category to Acadian International ADR SMA
make recommendations.
The selection committee, made up of representatives from Envestnet LIQUID ALTERNATIVES
and Investment Advisor, reviewed the analysts’ choices and made the • Capital Wealth Planning — Capital Wealth
final selections. Enhanced Dividend Income Portfolio
To be eligible for the Asset Manager of the Year award, managers must
have a minimum of $200 million in assets under management and at least SPECIALTY
three years of experience. Also, the strategies they lead must be available on • Lazard — Lazard Global Listed
the Envestnet platform and open to new investors. Infrastructure Fund
Winners were announced at the Envestnet Advisor Summit held in
mid-May in Charlotte, North Carolina. To meet the winners, read on. Also, MULTI ASSET STRATEGIST
check ThinkAdvisor.com for videos as well as a roundtable discussion with • SSI Investment Management —
a group of winners, SSI Flexible Allocation Portfolio

JULY/AUGUST 2022 INVESTMENT ADVISOR 23