Civitas Group launches £2bn social impact asset manager

Civitas Investment Management launches in UK with £2bn in AUM and plans expansion into EU in next 12 months

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Anna Fedorova

Civitas Group, which runs the £900m Civitas Social Housing investment trust, has consolidated all of its investment management activities under a new name, Civitas Investment Management (CIM)

The new business has £2bn in (assets under management) AUM and positions itself as a “leading impact investor specialising in government-backed real assets that product beneficial and sustainable outcomes”.

Having started its business by investing in care-based social homes, CIM’s strategies now include investments in healthcare, social and affordable housing, social infrastructure and urban regeneration.

These four investment strategies share common themes, including stable long-term cash generation, low volatility and low correlation to economic cycles, and a measurable social and ESG impact. The group’s performance in achieving these aims is monitored by independent social impact consultants.

Over the next 12 months, CIM plans to expand its capabilities further in the area of community based infrastructure and intends to launch the business in the EU.

To help with its plans, the new asset management firm has created a new website, which outlines its activities, social objectives and range of investment options.

See also: – ‘This is a catalytic moment for impact investing’

The group has also established a number of exclusive partnerships with investment houses and global real estate and infrastructure investors.

This includes a partnership with Schroders to deliver new care-based housing, initially for approximately 2,000 people; and a leading Asia-based global infrastructure and real estate investor to invest in housing based social infrastructure assets.

Andrew Dawber, group director at CIM, said: “CIM has reached an important investment milestone based on a growing number of client mandates. We are greatly encouraged by the opportunities in the near-term future as we grow and build out our investment funds, deploying capital in projects in the UK, and in Europe in due course.

“We are experiencing strong and growing demand from portfolio managers who increasingly recognise the attractions of investing in the asset classes that CIM promotes.

“We are especially proud of the team that we have built at CIM who each provide different perspectives towards the same goal, creating sustainable investment returns for the long term in projects that deliver genuine social good at a local level wherever that investment is made.”