BOARDS UNDER SCRUTINY
The UK investment trust sector is facing an unprecedented wave of activism.
In this Overture, Fidelio’s Hans-Christoph Hirt examines the challenges confronting the sector, unpacks activist strategy and demands, and provides a roadmap for investment trust boards to strengthen governance and regain investor confidence ahead of their Annual General Meetings (AGMs).
Challenges facing the sector include:
Macroeconomic Pressures – Higher interest rates and inflation have dampened investor appetite for certain asset classes.
Market Outflows – UK equity markets continue to experience fund outflows, affecting both investment trusts and open-ended funds.
Performance & Fees – Many trusts face criticism over prolonged investment underperformance and high fees.
Regulatory Disclosures – FCA fee disclosure rules create an unfavourable comparison with open-ended funds, making investment trusts appear more expensive.
Governance Scrutiny – Institutional shareholders are pushing for stronger board independence and enhanced diversity.
The recent activist challenge at seven investment trusts involved EGMs and Board replacement attempts, none of which gained traction with investors. However, the activist is already planning further interventions.
Institutional investors have raised governance concerns in the UK investment trust sector, particularly regarding Board composition, responsiveness and transparency. Combined with the challenges outlined earlier, these Board vulnerabilities create opportunities for activist interventions.
In this Overture, Fidelio examines the UK investment trust sector more broadly and explores how Boards can address governance concerns and create a framework supporting work dealing with the challenges facing the industry, including:
Strengthening Board composition and effectiveness
Proactively engaging with shareholders , particularly on managing net-asset value discounts and investment performance. To read Fidelio's full Overture, please click here.
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