Troy Asset Management Limited (Troy) has appointed income manager Blake Hutchins to its UK equity income team.

Mr Hutchins joins the asset manager from Investec Asset Management, where he was the lead manager on the Investec UK Equity Income Fund, which was launched in 2015, and co-manager of the Investec Global Quality Equity Income Fund. He has enjoyed an extensive career in asset management, starting his career in 2007 in the UK Equities team at Morley Fund Management (now Aviva Investors). He also has experience working for with Columbia Threadneedle where he had managed both retail and institutional assets.

He begins his new role in October, and will work alongside Francis Brooke and Hugo Ure, who will become co-managers of the Trojan Income Fund at his arrival. They will also work with him on the Troy Income & Growth Trust and Trojan Ethical Income Fund.

Commenting on the new appointment, Troy Investment Director Francis Brooke believed Mr Hutchins qualities suited its income franchise perfectly.

He said: “We have seen significant growth in our UK equity income franchise in recent years not only in the Trojan Income Fund, Troy Income & Growth Trust and Trojan Ethical Income Fund but across a number of other income mandates. Blake’s high-quality stock picking and risk averse investment style is very complementary to our own. I am delighted to welcome him to Troy and the team.”