Witan's Bell adopts active stance

Andrew Bell has reshaped 40% of multi-manager mandates in the £1.16bn Witan investment trust in a move towards a more active management style.

Since joining Witan in February last year, Bell has removed the trust’s entire 20% weighting in passive index trackers, made more active use of gearing and added an emerging markets mandate to the portfolio. The trust now comprises 11 mandates with a focus on active stockpicking, with new additions run by Trilogy Global Advisors, Veritas, and Marathon, among others. “In taking the decision to move from passive to active, we removed the 20.6% position we had in index trackers and instead have appointed active managers who aim to outperform the benchmark rather than matching it,” said B...