Australian asset manager Perpetual Limited announced Wednesday it finalized its acquisition of Trillium Asset Management, a sustainable-investment firm that listed approximately $3.3 billion in managed assets on its most recent Form ADV.
The completed acquisition will drive Trillium, an investment advisory firm exclusively focused on environmental, social and governance investing since 1982, to scale its business in North America with an eye toward global expansion, said company CEO Matthew Patsky in a statement.
“Clients around the world are increasingly demanding investment opportunities that provide both a positive long-term ESG impact and positive returns,” Patsky said in a release, adding that the additional resources bring global scale to the business and enhance distribution capabilities.
Over time, Trillium plans to enter new markets including Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Europe, according to the announcement. The firm will retain its brand and operate independently with its own management team and advisory board led by Patsky.
The acquisition is mutually beneficial as Perpetual builds out a U.S.-based distribution team to drive Trillium’s growth in North America which, in turn, will “increase Perpetual’s exposure to the fast growing ESG segment,” said Perpetual Managing Director and CEO, Rob Adams in the statement.
“The interest in ESG has accelerated globally in recent times due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as extreme climate events, all contributing to the positive momentum of true, integrated ESG investing fast becoming mainstream,” Adams said.
Perpetual announced Jan. 30 it agreed to buy Trillium for $36 million, Bloomberg reported.
