Old Mutual Investment Group (OMIG) has announced a set of senior appointments to strengthen its investment research capability and deepen portfolio leadership across key strategies.

Funeka Maseko has been appointed Head of Equity Research, responsible for strengthening the quality and consistency of investment insight that supports portfolio decision-making. Maseko is one of South Africa’s most respected equity research professionals, with close to two decades of experience across leading institutions, including senior investment roles at Rencap, Citi, JP Morgan and Nedbank CIB.

OMIG further announced the appointment of Sisamkele (Sisa) Kobus, CFA, as Senior Analyst, reinforcing the firm’s equity, macro-economic and fixed income research capability. With nearly a decade at Ninety One (formerly Investec Asset Management), she brings deep emerging markets fixed income expertise and a track record in sovereign research, including inflation and policy analysis, rates and linkers, and the development of a sovereign ESG framework. She was recognised as the ABSIP Young Black Economist of the Year in 2023.

In addition, Meryl Pick will change her focus from leading the business’s fundamental investment research to have a more exclusive focus on managing assets. Pick will continue to manage the Old Mutual Gold Fund and Old Mutual Small Companies Fund, with the additional new responsibility of co-managing the Old Mutual Balanced Fund, Moderate Balanced Fund, and Global Balanced Fund.

Pick will co-manage these flagship balanced funds alongside Jason Swartz and Siboniso Nxumalo. Jason Swartz is a Portfolio Manager and has been responsible for Tactical Asset Allocation for key institutional mandates at the Old Mutual Investment Group, with 25 years’ investment experience, while Siboniso Nxumalo, with 20 years’ experience, currently serves as Chief Investment officer for the business and has managed a range of domestic equity funds and held several leadership roles within OMIG.

Discussing these appointments in his team Nxumalo said: “Great investment outcomes are built on insightful research and informed decision making. We are confident that these appointments strengthen and align both the leadership of our overall investment research engine, and our senior investor capacity, particularly in the investment portfolios that matter most to our clients.”