Mirabaud Asset Management appoints portfolio managers Will Ballard and Giles Parkinson to build new global equity strategy. Mirabaud Asset Management (MAM), the active, conviction-led asset management arm of the Mirabaud Group, has appointed Will Ballard and Giles Parkinson as London-based Global Equity Portfolio Managers, strengthening the firm's active equity capabilities ahead of the launch of a new Global Equity strategy. 14.09.2026 Will Ballard and Giles Parkinson joined MAM on 1 September, both reporting to Andrew Lake, CIO. Will joins from Border to Coast Pensions Partnership, where he was Head of Equities, leading the equity investment team and overseeing £15 billion across equity strategies. Giles joins from TrinityBridge, where he was Head of Equities, managing £6 billion across equity and multi-asset portfolios. The pair previously worked at Aviva Investors, developing a common investment philosophy, before going on to forge successful paths independently, each building a long-term institutional track record. Reunited at Mirabaud Asset Management, they will combine this experience to build a global equity strategy around a shared conviction: active returns should be driven by the companies you choose to own, not by unintended macro bets. The new strategy will take a benchmark-aware approach to global equities, seeking to focus active risk on individual stock selection while carefully managing unintended sector, country and style exposures. It will invest in high-quality companies with durable competitive advantages and improving fundamentals, supported by a systematic and disciplined investment process. Umberto Boccato, CEO of Mirabaud Asset Management, said: "Will and Giles bring deep institutional experience and a shared investment philosophy that aligns well with Mirabaud's long-term, active approach. Their appointment supports the optimisation of our equity range and brings together complementary expertise to build a focused and compelling global equity strategy for clients." Will Ballard, Global Equity Portfolio Manager at MAM, commented: "Mirabaud felt like a natural home for us. Its combination of Swiss heritage, independence and long-term thinking closely reflects how we approach investing. It gives us the opportunity to bring together the experience of our respective careers and build a strategy around what we believe matters most: owning great businesses, taking the right risks and investing with discipline." Giles Parkinson, Global Equity Portfolio Manager at MAM, added: "It's time to recognise that equity market structure has changed. Index concentration has increased and stocks have become more volatile inside the index. Joining Mirabaud gives us the opportunity to develop a strategy that tackles these challenges and meets the needs of today's investors." The new strategy will be positioned as a core global equity allocation within Mirabaud Asset Management's equity range and will launch on 1st October 2026.

Pictet's profits up in H1 2026. Amanda Cheesley Deputy Editor 31 August 2026 In a difficult environment, Pictet said the assets clients had entrusted to it reached an all-time high. Geneva-headquartered private bank Pictet has published unaudited figures for the first half of 2026 showing a net profit of SFr371 million ($459 million), up 12 per cent, and operating income of SFr1.637 billion (+4 per cent) compared with the first half of 2025). Total expenses before tax reached SFr1.165 billion (+1 per cent). Assets under management or custody reached SFr810 billion (+7 per cent) from 31 December 2025, the firm said in a statement on Friday. The group has maintained a solid equity base, as well as a robust total capital ratio. As at 30 June 2026, the group's equity stood at SFr3.17 billion. The total capital ratio stood at 21.9 per cent, well above the 12 per cent requirement set by the group's Swiss regulator, FINMA. "In an environment marked by geopolitical uncertainty, the assets clients entrusted to Pictet reached an all-time high," Marc Pictet, senior managing partner, said. "The solid operating result demonstrates the appeal of our business model and our ability to guide clients through complex and volatile market phases." Two of Pictet's Swiss peers, Lombard Odier and Mirabaud, have reported half-year figures in recent days. Lombard Odier's assets under management rose 7 per cent from end-2025 to a record SFr239 billion ($298.7 billion) in the first half of 2026. Total client assets reached SFr367 billion, up 5 per cent over the same period. Mirabaud reported a stable net profit of SFr12.3 million. Assets under management increased by 8 per cent to SFr32.4 billion. Its CET1 ratio remained above 20 per cent.