Page 29 - Investment Advisor July/August 2021

By Ginger Szala, Bernice Napach, Jeff Berman and Janet Levaux

ach year brings its own challenges for active man- on consistency over the years — not just selecting from a hot
agers. But last year, when the global pandemic year. We’re looking at a lot of metrics, including managing risk,
caused a plunging stock market followed by soar- the people and the process.”
Eing volatility, as well as a chaotic world economy, In addition to nine winners in seven categories (two were
asset managers had to be extra stellar in their agility and risk- selected in larger groups), the Envestnet/Investment Advisor
taming skills to lead their portfolios. committee also names an overall “champion” chosen from the
In its 17th year, the Envestnet and Investment Advisor nine winners.
magazine Asset Managers and Strategist of the Year Awards This overall winner is selected after grading its perfor-
program recognizes nine top-performing active managers in mance against that of other category winners, which means
seven categories from across the separately managed account this manager is up against an extremely talented group.
spectrum who topped the industry in 2020. Last year’s whip- Due to the coronavirus, this year’s winners were announced
saw markets across all asset classes brought out the special during Envestnet’s Advisor Summit On-Demand 2021 held in
talents of these winners. mid-June.
As in previous years, Envestnet’s Portfolio Management What follows are individual profiles of each of the winning
Consultants group, Envestnet | PMC analysts pared down strategies and their managers.
selections for each category using a sys-
tematic, proprietary and multi-factor
methodology from thousands of strate- The Asset Managers and Strategies of the Year Award
gies on its platform. winners for 2021 are (by category):
The qualitative and quantitative cri-
teria used in the final selection includes STRATEGIST
firm profile, performance, tax efficiency, • WestEnd Advisors
investment process and style, compos-
ite and customer service. The selection U.S. LARGE CAP EQUITY
committee, made up of representatives • Harbor Capital/Jennison Associates — Harbor Capital Appreciation Fund
from Envestnet and Investment Advisor, • Columbia Threadneedle — Columbia Contrarian Core SMA
then reviews the choices and makes the
final selections. FIXED INCOME
To be eligible for one of the Asset • Brandywine Global — Brandywine Global Opportunities Bond Fund
Managers and Strategist of the Year
awards, these managers must have a SMALL, SMID AND MIDCAP
minimum of $200 million in assets • RMB — RMB Smid Cap Core Managed Account/RMD Smid Cap Fund
under management or more and at • Riverbridge — Riverbridge Smid Cap Growth Managed Account
least three years of experience. Also,
the strategies they lead must be broadly GLOBAL, INTERNATIONAL AND EMERGING MARKET EQUITY
available on the Envestnet platform and • Schroders — Schroders International Alpha ADR Strategy
open to new investors.
In judging, “we’re not just bas- IMPACT
ing these awards on performance, or • Brown Advisory — Brown Advisory Sustainable Core Fixed Income
just last year’s performance,” says Tim LIQUID ALTERNATIVES
Clift, chief investment strategies for • AQR/CNH Partners — AQR Diversified Arbitrage Fund
Envestnet | PMC. “We’re really focusing

JULY/AUGUST 2021 INVESTMENT ADVISOR 27