Ardea co-founder appointed CEO

Stephen Clout
STEPHEN CLOUT
Ardea Investment Management Pty Limited - Chief Executive Officer
APPOINTMENT
ARDEA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LIMITED
Date: April 2019
Position: Chief Executive Officer

Fixed income specialist Ardea Investment Management has announced that co-founder Stephen Clout has been appointed chief executive officer. He replaces co-founder Ben Alexander who will now serve as Ardea chair and chief investment officer.

Ardea is owned by its staff in conjunction with Fidante Partners, the boutique investment management business of Challenger Limited.

Alexander said the promotion of Clout, who previously headed portfolio implementation and client relationships at the firm, would enable him and the rest of the investment team to maintain their full focus on investing, without being distracted by business management. He added: "The need for this focus was also one of the key reasons we originally teamed up with Fidante Partners to manage operations, and distribution on our behalf."

Commenting on Clout's strengths, Alexander said: "Stephen knows our business well, having helped found it more than 10 years ago. He also has deep, extensive relationships with our clients and is already very well-known and respected by the team."

Clout, who will continue to have ultimate oversight of portfolio implementation, will be supported by chief operating officer Tracey Kellett, who joined Ardea from Challenger in February 2019.