As of June 2026, Guinness Global Investors has acquired Foresight Capital Management, the public markets investment business within Foresight Group. This will expand Guinness’ fund offerings by adding listed real asset funds and sustainable and impact funds, along with their management teams.
As of the end of June 2026, the firm has roughly GBP 8.5 billion in assets under management. Over the past few years, Guinness has made some notable improvements. It added distinct roles for a head of operations, chief financial officer, and chief compliance officer instead of outsourcing certain functions or having one person cover parts of all three. The firm also created an independent risk-management function that reports to CEO Ed Guinness. These additions bring the firm closer to industry standards. However, integration is still a work in progress, and it remains to be seen whether further changes are needed.
Other areas of the firm could also use an update but are improving, too. The number of employees who have firm ownership has increased markedly over the last few years but will be capped by the minimum 50% shareholding by the Guinness family. Still, wider firm-level ownership helps with employee retention, and this is evidenced in the low turnover of the investment team.
Portfolio manager compensation could align more with client interests by linking strategy performance to bonuses rather than considering assets under management. Additionally, some of the fund lineup could be priced more competitively, especially the US mutual funds. Moreover, the firm’s ETF range includes several relatively niche strategies. Many have experienced limited investor demand, and some have subsequently closed. We also question what some of the external tie-ins under the Guinness banner truly add, such as the Chinese renminbi bond fund and fund of funds managed for Brewin Dolphin.
Overall, at the parent level, the trajectory of improvement is evident, but we are not yet ready to reflect that with an upgrade to the pillar rating.
Note: This share class' Parent Pillar rating is analyst-driven, as its Branding Name, Guinness Atkinson (Branding Name ID: BN000008YY), is covered by Morningstar Manager Research.
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