Dariusz Sliwinski to leave Martin Currie

Emerging markets specialist Dariusz Sliwinski (pictured) is to leave Martin Currie after 13-year career with the firm.  

Sliwinski, who runs the firm's Emerging Markets Oeic, will leave the firm on 10 September.  

His position within the firm came under more pressure after the group raided Scottish Widows Investment Partnership's emerging markets team, hiring six of its members including it head Kim Catechis and Latin American specialist Jeff Casson.

The emerging markets fund by Casson,who joins on Monday, and Andrew Mathewson who became a member of firm's emerging markets team in 2005.

In a statement the Edinburgh-based boutique said Sliwinski had been discussions with the firm for some time about the development of the emerging-markets franchise and about his own career plans.

Sliwinski joined Martin Currie in 1997 and was initially responsible for managing Martin Currie’s emerging-Europe mandates.

He assumed responsibility for emerging-markets portfolios in 2001 and he took control of the emerging markets fund in 2002.

Sliwinski has struggled to ride the emerging markets rise since he lost his Citywire Rating back in December 2007.

According to Lipper, in the three years to the end of August his fund posted a loss of 4% compared to a 25% decline rise in the MSCI Emerging Markets TR USD index. His maximum drawdown was 52%.  

Martin Currie managing director of sales Andy Sowerby said: ‘We are sorry to see Dariusz go, but fully understand his reasons. We are grateful to Dariusz for his contribution to the business and for his part in the creation and development of our GEMs team. We wish him all the very best with his future career.’

Sliwinski's departure comes shortly after Martin Currie said it would be closing down a large part of his UK-equity business to focus on emerging markets. As part of this plan it intends to launch a Latin American fund for Jeff Casson.