Jasper Berens, head of client relationships and distribution, CCLA

Investment firm CCLA Investment Management has launched its UK-domiciled UCITS CCLA Better World Global Equity fund.

CCLA focuses on sustainable investments and has previously offered funds exclusively to charities, local authorities and the Church of England.

This will be the first fund it offers to UK retail investors.

The firm is committed to achieving its ESG objectives, and has been involved in campaigns targeting modern slavery and mental health in recent years.

A founding member of the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, CCLA aims to achieve net-zero across all its funds by 2040.

The fund will be managed by James Ayre and Charlotte Ryland.

Mr Ayre, co-head of investments, has managed CCLA’s global equity strategy since 2007, having previously worked as an investment analyst at Santander Asset Management and a tax analyst at Moore Stephens.

Ms Ryland, also co-head of investments at CCLA, joined the firm in 2016 after holding positions as a senior portfolio manager at EFG Asset Management and an equity fund manager at Newton Investment Management.

The fund will mirror the existing global equity strategy CCLA has offered exclusively to charity clients. It has out-performed the MSCI World index over five years.

Jasper Berens, head of client relationships and distribution at CCLA, commented: “I am thrilled to be bringing the success enjoyed by CCLA’s not-for-profit clients to the wider wealth, intermediary and retail market.”

“This offering will appeal to those investors seeking good performance combined with a genuine and authentic approach to ESG and sustainable investing. CCLA is different in that our approach to sustainability is applied across everything we do and not just at an individual fund level.”

CCLA was established in 1958 and invests across multiple sectors, including fixed income, equities, multi-asset funds and property.

Independently owned by its clients, it has £14 billion invested across its funds.