Richard Woolnough

M&G fund manager

Richard Woolnough is a fund manager M&G Investments, the fund management arm of Prudential in the UK. In 2014, he became the highest paid person in the company, earning at least £15.3m in pay and bonuses, compared with the £11.8m earned by the then chief executive Tidjane Thiam. Born in Chesterfield, he began his career at M&G before working for Lloyds Merchant Bank, Italian insurer Assicurazioni Generali, Old Mutual and SG Warburg. Woolnough runs three funds at M&G Investments - which manages £35bn on behalf of Prudential policyholders and investors - one of which includes his £21bn Optimal Income fund.

Companies

Seven managers added to FE fundinfo 'hall of fame'

51 managers overall

24 March 2022 • 2 min read

Funds

Investors redeem £100m a day from Woolnough's flagship M&G fund

Performance losses of 15%

30 March 2020 •

Bonds

Woolnough shifts flagship M&G bond funds to 'shortest duration ever'

Favouring credit risk over interest rate risk

19 November 2019 •

Industry

One or all? Star manager versus team approach

Better off backing a lone manager or a team?

09 October 2019 •

Bonds

M&G's Woolnough: Where credit's due

In praise of investment grade

21 May 2019 •

Investment

Investors return to M&G Optimal Income as AUM tops £20bn again; Group 'significantly' increases seeding for new funds

Had previously seen significant outflows

16 November 2017 •

Bonds

Where M&G's Woolnough is finding value for his £21bn Optimal Income fund

Four key areas of investment focus

21 September 2017 •

Bonds

M&G's Woolnough: UK will lose its edge post-Brexit

Harder to compete with US

08 December 2016 •

Bonds

Woolnough reintroduces equities to M&G Optimal Income after two-year hiatus

Also moved negative duration for first time

02 November 2016 •

Bonds

M&G's Woolnough: Why banks should offer a cash ETF

Negative returns from bonds

13 September 2016 •