Barings appoints head of Latin American equities

Baring Asset Management has appointed Michael Simpson to the role of head of Latin American equities as it moves to expand its presence in the space.

Simpson, who joins from San Francisco-based Wells Capital Management, will report to head of equities Tim Scholefield and take on the management of the firm's $572m Latin American fund.

Simpson started investment roles on GEM portfolios at Wells in 2007, after building a track record as EM equities analyst at Lehman Brothers and, more recently, Seven Global Research in New York.

Scholefield said the appointment follows plans to focus new resources on the Latin American investment universe as it represents "the heart of the emerging markets story".

"We believe the region has strong fundamentals in place to deliver superior returns over the long term. Improving growth and inflation numbers and strong domestic demand will provide support for Latin American equities into 2012 and beyond.

"Michael's appointment will give us extra capacity and insight as we continue to build our proposition and funds under management in this important region."