Edinburgh, Scotland-based Martin Currie Investment Management has expanded its global equities team with two senior appointments.

Christine Montgomery and Neil Robson will join Martin Currie’s global equities team by the end of the year. The team, led by CIO and head of global equities James Fairweather, currently manages US$4.6 billion.

In her new role Montgomery will have responsibility for EAFE and ACWI ex US mandates, while Robson will work with Fairweather and the team to manage Martin Currie’s Global strategies.

Montgomery has 20 years’ experience of global equity markets. She joins Martin Currie from Edinburgh Partners, where she was an investment partner, responsible for managing segregated institutional accounts totalling US$742 million. Before this, she was global equities fund manager at Franklin Templeton Investments, where she managed over US$3 billion of segregated institutional portfolios.

Robson has 23 years of experience in global equity markets and joins Martin Currie from Pioneer Investments where he was head of global equities. At Pioneer, he was responsible for the four equity teams run from the Dublin office with US$17.7 billion assets under management. Before this, he was global equities fund manager at Baring Asset Management, where he was the global sector strategist for the company’s Global and EAFE funds.

“For many years, we have recognised that clients are moving from a home-market bias to allocating assets on a global basis – and this trend is only accelerating,” said Willie Watt, CEO. “In order to deliver the products to meet this demand, we have invested heavily in our research and portfolio-management capabilities, and these latest additions reinforce our ongoing commitment.”

Martin Currie currently manages £12.0 billion (US$19.1 billion) in active equity portfolios for a global client base of financial institutions, charities, foundations, endowments, pension funds, family offices, government agencies and investment funds. Its pooled funds include an Oeic, Sicav, offshore mutual funds, investment trusts and a range of absolute return funds.