JEDDAH — Greenstone Equity Partners, one of the largest independent fund placement firms in the Middle East, announced its collaboration with London-based Charlemagne Capital, a $2.2 billion Emerging Markets specialist group. Charlemagne is currently raising capital for the Magna MENA Fund, a sub-fund of Charlemagne Capital's Magna Umbrella Fund Plc, which invests in a diversified portfolio of MENA securities. Launched in February 2011, the Magna MENA fund is focused on companies operating in the Gulf Cooperation Council, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and North Africa, such as Egypt. The fund has consistently delivered an impressive performance with an annualized return of 36% over the last three years. Magna MENA generated 201% total return as of February 2015, outperforming the S&P Pan Arab Composite Index by 138%. In January 2015, Magna MENA fund was presented with the Best MENA Fund Manager Performance Awards 2015 in the category of MENA Equity Fund $50 million. Charlemagne Capital was also awarded the 2015 Lipper Award for the Best Fund Group over Three Years in the “Equity-Small” category of the Lipper Awards for each of Switzerland, Germany, Austria and pan Europe. “We are excited to collaborate with Charlemagne Capital due to their great reputation in delivering outstanding results to investors. Their team of investment professionals is thorough and knowledgeable, and with directors and employees owning 40 per cent of the business, they are uniquely passionate about creating success,” said Omar Al-Gharabally, President of Greenstone Equity Partners. “With this relationship, we are confident that we are introducing solid investment opportunities to our clients, driven primarily by the region's potential to generate superior economic growth over the longer term.” “At Charlemagne Capital, we invest in emerging markets and manage global and regional mandates that aim to deliver attractive and consistent long-term returns,” said Jayne Sutcliffe, Chief Executive of Charlemagne Capital. “The MENA region has been an important source of capital flows and wealth accumulation, and with increased liquidity, local and international investors are becoming keenly aware of the opportunities MENA equities can offer. With Greenstone Equity Partners' thorough market knowledge and strong relationships, we believe that this collaboration will be a great asset to our operations,” she added. — SG
