Neuberger Berman bolsters ESG offering with Global High Yield Sustainable Action Fund

Media Contact:

Fiona Kehily, +44 (20) 3214 9087, Fiona.Kehily@nb.com

London, 11 February 2020 –Neuberger Berman, a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager, is launching an actively managed, differentiated global high yield fund focusing on corporate credit securities that meet sustainable investment criteria.

The strategy will target best-in-class issuers through systematic evaluation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and negative exclusion criteria, emphasising active engagement with issuers on ESG factors. Engagement objectives for each issuer are established and aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with progress for the portfolio reported to investors annually.

The fund will invest in securities across the global high yield fixed income universe, with an emphasis on income generation. The portfolio will be diversified by industry and issuer, comprising 90-150 issuers, with a quality focus on BB and B credit.

Chris Kocinski and Joseph Lind will run the fund, supported by a team of four portfolio managers, ESG and impact investing specialists and a global team of more than 70 investment professionals dedicated to global non-investment grade credit markets. Based out of the firm’s Chicago office, Kocinski and Lind have a combined 34 years of high yield credit investing experience and expertise.

Chris Kocinski and Joseph Lind, senior portfolio managers at Neuberger Berman, say: “This fund leverages the scale of our fixed income platform and the rigour of our proprietary ESG process to create a unique platform for engagement with issuers. This will allow us to source best-in-class issuers and quality opportunities that are positively contributing to the future sustainability of the planet.”

Dik van Lomwel, head of EMEA and Latin America at Neuberger Berman, says: “The demand for solutions that drive sustainable outcomes beyond investment performance is only gathering pace. Neuberger Berman has evolved its ESG approach across asset classes, including high yield, for a number of years, and this new strategy now offers investors access to a sustainable solution in a space where alternatives remain more limited.”

Notes to editors

Neuberger Berman’s ESG Policy

As an active manager, Neuberger Berman has a long-standing belief that material environmental, social and governance factors are an important driver of long-term investment returns from both an opportunity and a risk mitigation perspective. We also understand that for many of our clients the impact of their portfolio is an important consideration in conjunction with investment performance.

To read more about Neuberger Berman’s ESG heritage and philosophy, please click here.

Chris Kocinski

Christopher Kocinski, CFA, Managing Director, joined the firm in 2006. Chris is a Senior Portfolio Manager for Non-Investment Grade Credit focusing on U.S. high yield portfolios. In addition, he is a member of the Credit Committee for Non-Investment Grade Credit as well as the firm’s ESG Advisory Committee. Previously, he was the Co-Director of Non-Investment Grade Credit Research and a Senior Research Analyst with a specific focus on the healthcare and gaming sectors. Prior to joining the firm, he was an investment banking analyst at Bank of America Securities. Chris earned a BA from the University of Chicago and has been awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Joseph Lind

Joseph Lind, CFA, Managing Director, joined the firm in 2018. Joe is a Senior Portfolio Manager for Non-Investment Grade Credit with a focus on U.S. high yield portfolios. In addition, he sits on the Credit Committee for Non-Investment Grade Credit. Joe comes to the firm with more than 20 years of experience, including 12 years at DDJ Capital Management where he served as a portfolio manager in their U.S. High Yield and Opportunistic strategies. Before DDJ, Joe worked for Coast Asset Management, Sierra Capital and The Helios Group. Joe earned a BA from Harvard University and has also been awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

About Neuberger Berman

Neuberger Berman, founded in 1939, is a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager. The firm manages a range of strategies—including equity, fixed income, quantitative and multi-asset class, private equity and hedge funds—on behalf of institutions, advisors and individual investors globally. With offices in 23 countries, Neuberger Berman’s team is more than 2,100 professionals. For five consecutive years, the company has been named first or second in Pensions & Investments Best Places to Work in Money Management survey (among those with 1,000 employees or more). Tenured, stable and long-term in focus, the firm has built a diverse team of individuals united in their commitment to delivering compelling investment results for our clients over the long term. That commitment includes active consideration of environmental, social and governance factors. The firm manages $339 billion in client assets as of September 30, 2019. For more information, please visit our website at www.nb.com.