Morgan Stanley Investment Management (“MSIM”) announced today that it reached an agreement to take a minority ownership position in Hawker Capital (Cayman) Limited (“Hawker”), a commodities-focused investment management firm headquartered in London. The transaction adds Hawker to the collection of best-in-class independent investment managers with whom MSIM has already partnered, including Avenue Capital, Lansdowne Partners, Traxis Partners and Abax Global Capital. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Hawker uses a fundamental, research-based long/short approach focused on capacity-based markets using commodities and equities. The investment team is led by co-Portfolio Managers Oliver Hawkins and Tim Sanger, who bring a shared history at Rubicon Fund Management and unique commodities-focused investment experience.
Stu Bohart, a Co-Head of MSIM and Head of Alternative Investments said, “This partnership represents another enhancement to MSIM’s alternative investments capabilities. We believe Hawker’s talented investment team is well-positioned to take advantage of the significant opportunities across the commodities space, and we are excited to partner with Hawker to provide our clients access to their proven investment expertise.”
Tim Sanger, co-Portfolio Manager of Hawker said, “We are pleased to align ourselves strategically with Morgan Stanley and look forward to building upon our partnership with them in the future.”
About Hawker Capital
Hawker Capital (Cayman) Limited is a commodities-focused investment management business founded in August 2007 by Oliver Hawkins and Tim Sanger. The firm is headquartered in London and has a research presence in Beijing.
About Morgan Stanley Investment Management
Morgan Stanley Investment Management, together with its investment advisory affiliates, has nearly 1,000 investment professionals around the world and approximately $577 billion in assets under management or supervision as of February 29, 2008. By leveraging its global ‘community of boutiques’ structure and the strength of Morgan Stanley, MSIM strives to provide outstanding long-term investment performance, service and a comprehensive suite of investment management solutions to a diverse client base, which includes governments, institutions, corporations and individuals worldwide. Morgan Stanley offers a range of alternative investment products for institutional investors and high net worth individuals. MSIM's alternative investments platform includes hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, funds of private equity funds, currency funds, commodities funds and portable alpha overlays. In addition, Morgan Stanley has acquired minority stakes in third party investment managers, including Lansdowne Partners, Avenue Capital Group, Abax Global Capital and Traxis Partners.
About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services. The Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals from more than 600 offices in 33 countries. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.
Media Relations Contacts:
Alyson D’Ambrisi, +44.207.425.8470
Erica Platt, +1.212.762.6848