Brown Advisory Launches Sustainable International Leaders Mutual Fund

BALTIMORE, March 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Brown Advisory, an independent and privately held global investment management firm that oversees more than $139.3 billion in client assets and $39.4 billion in sustainable assets as of January 31, 2022, today announces the launch of the Brown Advisory Sustainable International Leaders Mutual Fund (the "Fund") (BISLX).

The Brown Advisory Sustainable International Leaders strategy seeks to invest in an actively managed concentrated portfolio of international companies that Brown Advisory considers leaders in their sector or country, have sound ESG risk management practices and sustainable business advantages, and therefore, the ability to compound returns for investors over time. The Fund seeks to outperform the FTSE All-World ex-US Index over the economic cycle, by investing in international equities that contribute positively to environmental and social issues.

The Fund joins Brown Advisory's lineup of global sustainable equity and fixed income strategies and funds. It is a natural addition and complement to Brown Advisory's global equity franchise, established in 2015 and including the Global Leaders and Global Focus strategies, and its sustainable investing capabilities, developed in-house over more than 10 years.

The Fund intends to invest in approximately 25 to 35 companies in developed and emerging equity markets with market capitalization above $2 billion. It builds on the established investment philosophy, process and team of Global Leaders Mutual Fund (BIALX), Brown Advisory's concentrated, global equity strategy, managed by Mick Dillon and Bertie Thomson. The Fund is guided by central convictions that are shared across Brown Advisory's global equity franchise:

• We are long-term investors focused on a high active share, concentrated portfolio of international companies that we believe offer compelling growth and profitability potential
• Investment selection is focused on identifying companies that we believe have strong competitive advantages and moats from a fundamental and sustainability perspective, have reinvestment opportunities at favorable returns on invested capital (ROIC), capable and rightly incentivized management teams and are undervalued over a long-term investment horizon
• Capital is allocated to the highest conviction ideas and follows a rigorous process supported by behavioral analysis. Buying, selling and sizing decisions are based on ongoing analysis of an investment's potential and portfolio exposure to risk-factors, as well as a process designed to mitigate potential behavioral biases

Priyanka Agnihotri, who is based in Brown Advisory's London office, is the portfolio manager of the Fund. Priyanka is a seasoned investment professional with over 10 years in global equity investment research roles. Priyanka joined Brown Advisory as a research analyst focused on the financial sector in 2015, and has been a member of Brown Advisory's global equity team since its inception. Priyanka was elevated to Portfolio Manager within the team in 2021, with the launch of the Sustainable International Leaders strategy.

Mick Dillon, Partner and Portfolio Manager of Brown Advisory's Global Leaders strategy, said: "I'm excited to see our Global Equity franchise continue to expand with the launch of Sustainable International Leaders. Priyanka has been a tremendous contributor to our strategies and team since the outset, and I am thrilled she is leading our efforts in the international segment of the market. I strongly believe that adding the focus on global companies ex-US will provide another perspective to our Global Equity Team, that will ultimately strengthen all of the franchise."

Priyanka Agnihotri, Partner and Portfolio Manager of Brown Advisory's Sustainable International Leaders strategy, said: "I am honored and excited to be leading this Fund and bringing the rigorous investment philosophy and process developed over eight years to a distinct international equity portfolio. Like all our strategies, I will manage the Fund through a long-term lens and provide exposure to high-quality, sustainable businesses outside of the US. I view a company's ESG risk management and sustainability profile as a material component of its ability to compound returns, while generating environmental and social impact." 

Nicole Nesbitt, Partner and Head of U.S. Institutional Sales and Client Service at Brown Advisory, said: "We are thrilled to bring this Fund to market to help meet our clients' need for a high caliber sustainable solution in international equities, that can help complement portfolio allocations to US equities. This Fund is rooted in Brown Advisory's global sustainable equity investment process, which fully integrates ESG with fundamental bottom-up research. Brown Advisory has more than a decade of experience in ESG research and delivering sustainable investment solutions to investors. I am delighted with the steady growth of our sustainable investing platform."

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About Brown Advisory
Brown Advisory is an independent investment management firm committed to providing its clients with a combination of first-class investment performance, strategic advice and the highest level of service. Brown Advisory has been a private, independent and colleague-owned firm since 1998. Today, the firm has more than 819 colleagues – each with an equity interest – serving private clients and institutions in 39 countries from 15 offices globally and is responsible for more than US $139 billion in assets for private and institutional clients as of 31^st January 2022. For more information, please visit: www.brownadvisory.com

Mutual fund investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible. Investments in foreign securities and ADRs entail certain risks not associated with investments in domestic securities, such as volatility of currency exchange rates, and in some cases, political and economic instability and relatively illiquid markets. The fund is new and has limited operating history.

Before Investing you should carefully consider the Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Click here for a current prospectus. Please read and consider it carefully before investing. You may obtain a hardcopy of the prospectus by calling 1-800- 540-6807. Click here for index and financial term definitions.

Investing involves risk, including loss of principal.

The Fund's combined focus on ESG assessments and forecasts of return and risk could cause it to make or avoid investments that could result in the Fund underperforming similar funds that do not have an environmental focus.  The Fund may invest in companies that do not reflect the beliefs and values of any particular investor and may invest in companies that would otherwise be screened out of other ESG-oriented funds.  Brown Advisory relies on third parties to provide ESG data and screening tools. There is no assurance that this information will be accurate or complete, and investments selected using these tools may perform differently than as forecasted. The Fund may invest in small and medium capitalization companies that may not have the size, resources and other assets of large capitalization companies. The Fund invests in foreign securities, including ADRs, which involve greater volatility and political, economic and currency risks and differences in accounting methods. These risks are greater in emerging markets. Diversification does not assure a profit, nor does it protect against a loss in a declining market.

The Fund's investment focus on sustainability factors could cause it to make or avoid investments that could result in the Fund underperforming similar fund that do not have a sustainability focus.

The Brown Advisory funds are distributed by ALPS Distributors, Inc. 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, CO 80203. Brown Advisory Funds and ALPS are not affiliated.

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SOURCE Brown Advisory