The Morningstar European Fund Awards draw from the expertise of Morningstarâs European fund analyst team to recognise fund managers in Europe who have demonstrated excellence in the past year and who have proven to be great stewards for shareholdersâ capital over the long term.
The awards are presented in two distinct categories: Fund Manager of the Year: European Equity and Fund Manager of the Year: Global Equity.
The winners of the Morningstar European Fund Awards 2011 are:
Morningstar Fund Manager of the Year: European Equity
Cédric de Fonclare
for Jupiter European Special Situations
Morningstar Fund Manager of the Year: Global Equity
Graham French
for M&G Global Basics
âCédric de Fonclare is highly experienced and has a flair for bottom-up stock selection informed by a strong awareness of the macro environment. De Fonclare consistently applies a distinctive style, and has delivered for investors across different market environments during his tenure,â said Christopher Traulsen, CFA, director of fund research for Europe and Asia at Morningstar.
âIn 2010, he guided Jupiter European Special Situations to a return of16.03% (EUR), a top-quintile showing in the Morningstar Europe ex UK Large-Cap Equity category, while in 2008âs tumultuous market, he kept the fundâs losses less than 85% of its peersâ. Over the course of his tenure, he has delivered strong performance for investors whilst limiting downside risk. Heâs an excellent fund manager who fully deserves this award.â
Traulsen continued, âGraham French is a truly skilled manager who is clearly passionate about delivering excellent long-term returns to his investors. With more than 20 years at M&G, he has a level of experience thatâs all too rare in the fund world, and is backed by a strong and stable team. His investment approach is long term and focused on selecting companies that allocate capital sensibly and are respectful of shareholders, which is consistent with his focus on creating value for fund shareholders as well as protecting their capital. In the M&G Global Basics fund, he seeks truly long-term opportunities in the building blocks of the global economy. As a result, the fund
has a higher risk proposition as his themes can be out of favour at times, but French has the patience to ride out short-term underperformance, secure in his assessment of a stockâs ultimate potential. In 2010, French delivered a top-decile return of 32.39% (EUR) relative to his Morningstar Global Small/Mid-Cap Equity peers, and over the past decade, has handily outperformed that
group, delivering a return that ranks in the categoryâs top 5.0%.â