UK – Investment Manager Selection Limited (IMS), the London based manager selection and appraisal consultancy specialist, has just completed its second year in operation and reports an increase in interest in the European and Asian markets as well as greater activity in the multi-manager and funds of funds business. The company now advises on assets totalling £2bn (€3bn).

Other than its core manager selection business, IMS now also has its own actively managed fund, IMS Select fund, which was launched in 1999 and gained 9.2% over a one year period to June, compared to a sector average fall of 7.2%.

Says Nigel Slade, managing director of IMS, said: “Though our focus countries are France, Germany and Italy, where we are looking for major institutional partners since players there are embracing our architecture, we are also speaking to people in the Benelux area as well as Asia.”