news

Both Darwin Property Investment Management (Guernsey) Limited - the Investment Manager of the Darwin Leisure Property Fund - and Darwin Alternative Investment Management (Guernsey) Limited - the Investment Manager of the Darwin Leisure Development Fund and Darwin Bereavement Services Fund - have once again  been accepted as signatories of the Financial Reporting Council UK Stewardship Code.

The UK Stewardship Code 2020 sets high stewardship standards for those investing money on behalf of UK savers and pensioners and meeting this threshold underpins all of our investment activity

We are proud to announce that Darwin Property Investment Management (Guernsey) Limited - the Investment Manager of the Darwin Leisure Property Fund - and Darwin Alternative Investment Management (Guernsey) Limited - the Investment Manager of the Darwin Leisure Development Fund and Darwin Bereavement Services Fund - have both been accepted as signatories of the Financial Reporting Council UK Stewardship Code.

By becoming a signatory of the UK Stewardship Code, we have joined a growing community of investment managers and asset owners that are committed to promoting responsible investment practices and improving long-term value creation. Becoming a signatory of the Code highlights our focus on sustainable investing and dedication to driving positive change in the companies we invest in.

We are delighted that Darwin Alternatives has  been named 'Alternative and Private Markets Investment Manager of the Year' at the 25th Professional Pensions UK Pension Awards. The awards recognise providers who offer "the highest levels of innovation, performance and service to occupational pension schemes and their members, and have done the most to improve over the past year".

The shortlist included 12 other managers, ranging from small boutique managers like ourselves to some of the largest global players, so winning was a great achievement for all the team and emphasises how Darwin Alternatives continues to deliver for our pension fund investors.

We are delighted to announce that Jeff Munroe has joined the team at Darwin Alternatives as a Strategic Advisor. Jeff, who is a former CIO at Newton Investment Management will will focus on evaluating new opportunities within the private market sector that would provide suitable investments for long-term pension fund investors.

Click here to read the full press release.
‍

Darwin Leisure Development Fund's new golf resort at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland is now open. The resort features 18 individual lodges, which range from 2 to 8 bedrooms in size and 22 hotel room style suite lodges, along with a brand new state-of-the-art clubhouse. Upgrades have also been made to the existing Dundonald Links golf course, which is one of Scotland's premier links courses.

Click here to view a video from the launch event for the new clubhouse.
‍

Darwin Alternatives was named ‘Alternatives Investment Provider of the Year - up to £100bn AUM’ at the 2021 Money Age Asset Management Awards.

The awards are designed to recognise outstanding achievement in the UK and European institutional and retail asset management spaces.

‍

Darwin Alternatives’ innovative Darwin Bereavement Services Fund (DBSF) has acquired Memoria Ltd, the UK’s third largest operator of private crematoria and memorial parks, taking the Fund, which launched in November 2018, to £200m in size. DBSF operates 11 crematoria - with planning consent granted for 2 new sites - and 17 memorial parks and burial grounds across England and Wales. It seeks to relieve the acute shortage of burial space faced by many local authorities. This has encouraged investment in DBSF by several Local Government Treasury and Pension Funds, attracted by the stable free cash flows that the sector generates.

Click here to read the press release

Click here to visit the Darwin Bereavement Services Fund website

With corporate responsibility and sustainability becoming principles that sustainable organisations including investment management companies cannot ignore, Darwin Alternatives has published its first Corporate Responsibility Report.  

Darwin invests in real assets in the holiday park and bereavement services sectors and the report sets out how we have developed our investment strategies to ensure that they have a positive impact on the environment and local communities in which our underlying businesses operate. Click here to read the report.
‍

Darwin Alternatives has been 'Highly Commended' in the 'Alternative Investment Manager of the Year' category at the 2020 Pensions Expert Pension & Investment Provider Awards (PIPA Awards).
‍
Darwin Alternatives was the winner of this category in 2019 and we are delighted that the judges continue to recognise our role in developing innovative alternative investment strategies which help pension schemes to meet their pension liabilities.
‍

Darwin Alternatives is delighted to have been shortlisted in the 'Alternative Investment Manager of the Year' category at the 2020 UK Pension Awards, 2020 Pensions Age awards, 2020 Asset Management Awards and 2020 European Pension Awards.

Darwin Alternatives today announces the launch of the Darwin Bereavement Services Fund, which offers institutional investors a unique opportunity to generate long-term yield and uncorrelated returns through a portfolio of cemeteries, crematoria and other bereavement services assets.

The Fund has already acquired a portfolio of six high-quality and differentiated cemetery and ceremonial parks in the UK, which it will also operate. The parks total over 270 acres in size and offer c.83,000 burial plots. The Fund will seek to acquire further assets from local authority councils as well as the private sector.  

Click here to visit the Darwin Bereavement Services Fund website.
‍

The Darwin Leisure Development Fund is a new opportunity for institutional investors to invest in the lucrative UK Holiday park market.  The Fund has been launched following the success of the Darwin Leisure Property Fund, which is soft-closed and is managed by the same team.

The Darwin Leisure Development Fund will own and operate a portfolio of UK holiday parks and the Fund aims to combine a secure return, which is well in excess of inflation, with business strategies that create sustainable shareholder value. Unlike the Darwin Leisure Property Fund, the new Development Fund will utilise gearing and will focus on acquiring sites with development opportunities.

Click here to visit the Darwin Leisure Development Fund website.
‍