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by Elbie Louw

Effective September 2023, Goldman Sachs has hired Anupam Damani as co-head of emerging-markets debt. Damani’s addition to the team comes on the heels of previous emerging-markets head Kay Haigh’s June 2023 promotion to the role of global co-CIO for fixed income and liquidity solutions. While Damani will likely become a meaningful contributor to the group’s fund lineup in the coming months, no changes have been announced to the manager roster for the flagship Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Debt strategy, where Haigh remains lead manager. With Haigh’s presence ensuring some stability amid the team’s ongoing evolution, the strategy retains its People and Process Pillar ratings of Average. Lead manager Haigh joined Goldman Sachs in 2019 and took over leadership of its emerging-markets debt team and lead responsibility for this strategy in July 2020. In June 2023, Haigh was promoted to co-CIO of global fixed income and liquidity solutions alongside Whitney Watson, replacing previous group head Sam Finkelstein, who retired. Haigh’s promotion was telegraphed several months in advance and some changes made to adjust his increased workload. In May 2023, head of emerging-markets corporate credit (and co-head of emerging-markets debt) Nicholas Saunders was named as a comanager on Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Debt, though Haigh has continued to serve as lead manager on the strategy. Saunders joined the firm in 2001 and has been a member of the emerging-markets debt team for more than 13 years, though he has focused on corporate credit strategies and his experience running emerging-markets sovereign debt strategies is limited. The appointment of Damani as co-head of emerging-markets debt alongside Saunders brings additional emerging-markets sovereign debt expertise to the team. Damani boasts 28 years of investment experience with a focus on emerging markets, and most recently she served as co-head of global fixed-income management for Nuveen. Still, it remains to be seen how she will work alongside the existing team. At present, there are no immediate changes to the portfolio management lineup or responsibilities here, with Haigh continuing as lead. These events do not change our conviction in the resources backing the strategy, and it maintains its People Pillar rating of Average. However, we take note that the changes in leadership, as well as the integration of NN Investment Partners’ 14-member emerging-markets debt team (following NN’s acquisition by Goldman Sachs in April 2022) may affect this team going forward, and we continue to monitor those developments. |
This strategy remains in experienced hands following the departure of previous lead manager Kay Haigh, but time is needed to observe how his successors, Anupam Damani and Nick Saunders, work together. Morningstar has enhanced the way we assess alpha opportunity for funds, which is a key component in our Morningstar Medalist Rating calculation. More of this strategy's Medalist Ratings than usual may therefore change with this update even in the absence of changes to pillar ratings or fund costs. After roughly four years at the helm here, previous emerging-markets chief Kay Haigh was promoted to the role of global fixed-income co-CIO in June 2023. He officially handed over his portfolio management duties and the leadership of the emerging-markets team to Nick Saunders and Anupam Damani in January 2024. However, Haigh had already begun transferring those responsibilities to the duo over the preceding months, ensuring a smooth handover. Saunders and Damani, who now share the decision-making responsibility at this strategy, are experienced emerging-markets experts. Saunders led the firm’s emerging-markets corporate debt strategies for 15 years before joining this strategy as a comanager in May 2023. He primarily oversees its quasi-sovereign and corporate positions. Multidecade industry veteran Damani joined Goldman Sachs in September 2023 from Nuveen, where she had served as head of emerging-markets debt. She is focused primarily on the fund’s sovereign debt exposures. In addition to these changes, the broader emerging-markets team is still settling in following Goldman Sach’s April 2022 acquisition of NN Investment Partners. That being said, the combined group of four sovereign economists, 11 emerging-markets corporate debt analysts, and eight dedicated traders remained well-resourced by industry standards. Although hard-currency emerging-markets sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt remain the core of the strategy, the managers typically keep around 10% of assets in emerging-markets corporate bonds and around 5% in local-currency government debt. We continue to monitor how the changing of the guard and tweaks to the strategy’s investment process benefit investors. |
Morningstar Pillars | |
People | Average |
Parent | Average |
Process | Average |
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