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IMPORTANT NEWS: Transition of investment management responsibilities
First Sentier Group, the global asset management organisation, has announced a strategic transition of Stewart Investors' investment management responsibilities to its affiliate investment team, FSSA Investment Managers, effective Friday, 14 November close of business EST.
Worldwide Leaders
The Worldwide Leaders strategy launched in November 2013 and transitioned to become a dedicated sustainability strategy in October 2016.
Investment objective and strategy
The Fund aims to achieve long term capital appreciation and sustainably invest in companies which both contribute to, and benefit from, sustainable development, achieving positive social and environmental sustainable outcomes. The Fund invests primarily in a diverse portfolio of equity securities or equity-related securities of larger capitalisation companies which are listed, traded or dealt in on any of the regulated markets worldwide.
The Worldwide Leaders strategy launched in November 2013 and transitioned to become a dedicated sustainability strategy in October 2016. The strategy invests in 30-60 high-quality global companies that are particularly well positioned to contribute to, and benefit from, sustainable development.
Leaders simply means that this strategy is focused on companies with a market cap value of at least USD5 billion.
Strategy highlights: a focus on quality and sustainability
- We invest in high-quality companies with exceptional cultures, strong franchises and resilient financials. How we pick companies >
- Our approach is long-term, bottom-up, high conviction and benchmark agnostic
- We focus on capital preservation as well as capital growth – we define risk as the permanent loss of client capital
- Companies must contribute to sustainable development. Portfolio Explorer >
- We avoid companies linked to harmful activities and engage and vote for positive change. Our position on harmful products >
Latest insights
Quarterly updates
Strategy update: Q4 2025
Worldwide Leaders strategy update: 1 October - 31 December 2025
In the fourth quarter, First Sentier Group announced a strategic transition of Stewart Investors' (SI) investment management responsibilities to its affiliate investment team, FSSA Investment Managers (FSSA), effective 14 November 2025. Importantly, the funds will continue to be run in line with their existing investment objectives and policies. In relation to the Worldwide and Worldwide Leaders strategies, Nick Edgerton and Lorna Logan continue as lead portfolio managers.
In the fourth quarter, global equities capped off a robust year with steady gains, driven in part by easing inflation expectations of continued central bank policy easing. The weaker US dollar encouraged a slight broadening of performance as capital flowed a little more into cyclical sectors, and non-US developed markets.
Our relative performance suffered mostly due to weakness in our larger long term investments in US technology businesses Arista Networks and Fortinet, along with US heating, ventilation and air conditioning business Watsco, and insurance brokerage Brown and Brown. Our performance was supported by non-US investments, including Korean memory chip maker and consumer electronics business Samsung which continues to ride the demand wave for memory, along with Brazilian electric motor business WEG, German rail business Knorr-Bremse and long term Indian tractor business Mahindra and Mahindra. These contributions, positive and negative, highlight the shift in capital from the US into other markets.
Over the quarter, we added two new companies including Alcon, a US-listed eye-health company which specialises in transforming the treatment of eye conditions. Alcon experienced a weak first three quarters of the year following soft market conditions in its surgical franchise and intense competition in the US implantable market. This weakness provided the opportunity for our investment. The other new addition is Cintas, a Cincinnati based, 100 year old family backed and owned business now overseen by its fourth generation. It’s a customer service business backed by a logistics business, harnessing localised routes and relationships to sell uniform rental and sales, facility services, workplace first aid consumables and safety services, which can all be scaled nationally.