Investment Management Operations: Overseeing and Facilitating Wealth Growth Strategies
The Story Behind RLAM's Private Markets Venture: A Smaller Fish with a Strategic Approach
Last Wednesday, David Ricketts shed light on RLAM's ambitious private markets push, shining a spotlight on the London-based powerhouse's unique position in the game.
David RickettsWednesday 30 April 2025 at 19:00
RLAM, the prominent London-based asset management firm, is carving out a niche for itself in the competitive realm of private markets. According to their Head of Private Markets, they're in no rush to become giants but rather focus on leveraging their time wisely to their advantage.
ESG and Private Markets: A Sustainable Approach
RLAM's Chief Investment Officer, Piers Hillier, underscores the importance of private markets in their investment strategies, aligning closely with a broader focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. This strategy indicates that RLAM could be integrating private market investments as part of their sustainable investment approach.
Diversification: A Key to Survival
RLAM's Head of Multi-Asset, Trevor Greetham, highlights the importance of diversification. Despite not explicitly discussing private market strategies, this diversification approach may extend to private assets as a means to navigate uncharted waters in the current market landscape.
Competing with Giants
Larger competitors wield extensive resources, enabling broader diversification in private markets and the ability to leverage economies of scale in asset management. Companies like BlackRock and Vanguard boast a vast global reach and a plethora of private equity, real estate, and infrastructure options for clients.
Despite its significant presence in the UK market, RLAM's operation scale is considerably smaller. However, its emphasis on ESG and UK-centric investments could provide a competitive edge in niche areas such as sustainable private markets or local real estate, offering an alternative to larger global powerhouses.
In essence, while the specifics of RLAM's private markets strategy remain somewhat elusive, their focus on sustainable investments and diversification could prove instrumental to their approach. While they may not yet match the muscle of larger competitors, their strategic approach and unique market positioning are certainly noteworthy.
In 2025, David Ricketts, the Head of RLAM, articulated their ambitious private markets push on Wednesday, 30 April. RLAM, a London-based asset management firm, is focusing on carving a niche in the private markets, with a strategic approach that prioritizes ESG principles, as highlighted by their Chief Investment Officer, Piers Hillier. Trevor Greetham, the Head of Multi-Asset at RLAM, emphasized the importance of diversification, possibly extending to private assets as a means to navigate the current market landscape. Despite being smaller than competitors like BlackRock and Vanguard, RLAM's emphasis on UK-centric investments and sustainable private markets could offer an alternative to these global powerhouses.
