SAM Chief Investment Officer departs and reshuffle sees new executive promotions

SAM, the $15.8bn Zurich-based sustainable investment subsidiary of Dutch fund manager, Robeco, has parted company with Stephanie Feigt, its Chief Investment Officer (CIO), and bumped three of its key division heads up to positions on its executive committee as it undergoes a major staffing upheaval following the appointment of former Credit Suisse Asset Management executive, Michael Baldinger, as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the end of 2010. Feigt, a long-term SAM employee who was part of the development of the firm’s portfolio management approach and its sustainability funds range, took up the CIO position in December 2008. She was also responsible for SAM’s global research. Last year she shared the CEO duties at SAM on an interim basis with Baldinger after the departure in February 2010 of former CEO, Sander van Eijkern, who stepped down as a board member of Robeco after disagreeing with executives about the future strategy of the group. It is not know if Feigt has taken a position elsewhere.As part of the reshuffle, Rainer Baumann, Head of Portfolio Management and Daniel Wild, Head of Research, both step up to additional executive roles. Neil Johnson, Head of Sales at SAM USA, who has also been promoted to become SAM’s new Head of Global Clients & Marketing, joins them on the executive committee. Earlier this month, SAM took over the management of two sustainable funds from parent Robeco giving it an €800m injection in assets under management. Baldinger has been given a specific brief to explore closer collaboration between SAM and Robeco. The changes are part of a wider shake-up of Robeco under CEO Roderick Munsters, the former chief investment officer at Dutch pension giant APG who took the helm in 2009. Alongside its range of sustainability-themed investment funds, SAM is the clean tech private equity manager for Robeco and represents its parent in Switzerland for sales, client servicing and marketing.