AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) has added to its equity healthcare team, bringing in a new co-manager for its £600m AXA Framlington Health fund.
Chris Eccles will join AXA IM from Impax Asset Management to run the portfolio alongside Cinney Zhang, who was already working on the fund and also manages the £378m AXA Framlington Biotech fund. Both Eccles and Zhang will report to Tom Riley, AXA IM’s head of global thematic strategies.
At Impax, Eccles was a senior global healthcare equity analyst specialising in sustainable investment strategies.
Jeroen Bos, global head of AXA IM Equity said: “We have been looking to hire additional resource to our Healthcare team for a while, and Chris was a perfect fit to reinforce the team and assist Cinney in the management of our 36-year-old UK-domiciled Health fund.
“As a responsible asset manager that actively invests for the long term to help our clients, people and the world to prosper, we were particularly attracted to Chris’ expertise in sustainable investment strategies.”
Earlier this year, Redwheel poached Peter Hughes from AXA IM to launch a dedicated healthcare strategy later in 2023. Hughes was formerly the lead manager on AXA Framlington Health.