Stenham Asset Management has announced that it has substantially augmented its investment team with the acquisition of Montier Partners, a niche discretionary investment management provider. The deal was completed on 1 September 2010.

Dominique Montier, founder of Montier Partners, with 33 years’ investment experience, and Jeremy Alun-Jones, CIO of Montier Partners with 26 years’ investment experience, will join Stenham’s investment committee, which will now comprise nine investment professionals, with an average of 20 years’ investment experience. Alun-Jones will assume the role of Managing Director, which will allow Kevin Arenson, currently Managing Director and CIO, to focus exclusively on investment management and risk control. The rest of the Montier team joining Stenham include two senior research analysts and four business development/client service professionals.

Montier Partners was founded in 1996 to act as an investment advisor to its sister company Montier Guernsey which manages diversified hedge fund portfolios for family offices and institutions. Total assets are over $400 million, bringing Stenham Asset Management’s total assets under management to $3.5 billion.

Kevin Arenson said: ‘We have, for some time now, been contemplating the separation of the roles of Managing Director and CIO at Stenham to allow me to concentrate exclusively on managing the Stenham portfolios together with the investment committee. The attraction of Montier was that it provided us with a highly suitable candidate for the position of Managing Director of Stenham Asset Management, expanded the current business development team and simultaneously augmented the investment team both at an operational and investment committee level.

We have known Montier Partners for a number of years and have been impressed with the ethos and owner-managed culture at Montier which, like that of Stenham, has capital preservation and a commitment to absolute returns with low volatility, at its heart. I look forward to working with Jeremy in his capacity as MD of our business and to the experience that he and Dominique will bring to our investment committee.’

Dominique Montier, Founder and CEO, Montier Partners Ltd added: ‘Stenham has its origins as a manager of family money like Montier and this means that at our core, we share the same values in terms of investment philosophy and risk control. I am looking forward to playing an active role in assessing future investments and looking after my clients’ assets for many years to come.’

Jeremy Alun-Jones commented: ‘We are delighted to be joining Stenham. They have an outstanding 25 year track record of achieving strong absolute returns but more importantly achieving these returns with a focus on managing and mitigating risks, both investment and operational. We were particularly attracted by the breadth of experience in their investment team and their substantial operational due diligence capabilities. I am looking forward to taking on the role of Managing Director which will allow Kevin to focus exclusively on managing the portfolios. Together we are confident we can continue to evolve and grow the Stenham business in the best interests of all our clients.’