Regnan, the responsible investment management business affiliated with J O Hambro Capital Management (JOHCM), has announced the launch of a global equities sustainable water and waste investment strategy later this year.

It has hired two fund managers, based in the JOCM London office from April, from Fidelity International to run the fund: Bertrand Lecourt, is joining as senior fund manager, and Saurabh Sharma as fund manager. The pair currently manage $2.5bn of assets within a sustainable water and waste strategy, including the $2.4bn Luxembourg-domiciled Fidelity Funds – Sustainable Water & Waste Fund and a $88m UK-domiciled OEIC fund. Both funds invest in companies involved in the design, manufacture or sale of products and services used in the water and waste management sectors, said Regnan.

Alexandra Altinger, JOHCM CEO – UK, Europe & Asia, commented: “We are thrilled that Bertrand and Saurabh are joining Regnan and the wider group to launch our first thematic sustainable investment strategy. Their decision highlights the attractions of Regnan’s responsible investment pedigree and the value of its unique sustainability research platform. The team’s appointment demonstrates our ability to attract superior talent and progresses Regnan’s plans to become a global leader in the provision of responsible investment strategies and solutions.”

Before joining Fidelity, Bertrand worked as a portfolio manager at Polar Capital and founded Aquilys Investment Management. Meanwhile, Sharma held equity research analyst roles at Moody’s Analytics and GlobalData prior to joining Fidelity.