a) Advisory Business.
Independent Franchise Partners, LLP (“the Firm”) is committed to delivering attractive long-term
returns while focusing on the absolute risks inherent in equity investment. The Firm offers a single,
differentiated discipline expressed in three strategies: the US Franchise strategy, the Global Franchise
strategy and the Global Franchise II strategy which launched in Q2 2019. The Global Franchise II
strategy follows the same franchise investment approach as the current Global Franchise and US
Franchise strategies but will not invest in tobacco securities, according to the GICS sub-industry
classification 30203010 – Tobacco.
The Firm provides discretionary investment management services to institutional clients for whom
the Firm conducts business via a number of segregated client accounts and four funds: a registered
investment company, Independent Franchise Partners US Equity Fund (“RIC”); two UCITS funds, the
Independent Franchise Partners Common Contractual Fund (“CCF”) and the Independent Franchise
Partners Variable Capital Company PLC (“VCC”); and two Private Funds, the Independent Franchise
Partners Global Equity, L.P. (“Global Equity LP”) and the Independent Franchise Partners Global Equity
II, L.P (“Global Equity II LP”). These are referred to in this document collectively as the Franchise
Partners’ Funds.
The Franchise investment approach is founded on the belief that a concentrated portfolio of
exceptionally high-quality companies - whose primary competitive advantage is supported by a
dominant intangible asset - selected with an absolute value bias will earn attractive long-term returns
with less than average absolute volatility.
The Firm was founded in June 2009 and is 100% owned by the equity partners, Jayson Vowles (directly
and via Samannajosh Limited), Richard Crosthwaite, Sandeep Ghela and Karim Ladha. It is not
affiliated with any other investment management company, fund distributor, investment bank or
commercial bank. This allows the Firm to focus on delivering the best Franchise portfolios to its clients
and eliminates many of the conflicts inherent in larger, more diversified or distribution-driven
organisations.
As at 31st December 2023, the Firm had approximately US $16 billion in assets under management.
The Firm is a UK incorporated Limited Liability Partnership. The Firm is authorised and regulated by
the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom and is a registered investment adviser with the
Securities and Exchange Commission in the US under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The Firm
was established in June 2009 and, prior to its inception, the Firm’s founding partners worked as an
investment team at Morgan Stanley Investment Management.
Investment services are more specifically tailored in accordance with: the governing investment
management agreement for each segregated account; the private placement memoranda and limited
partnership agreements for the Global Equity LP and the Global Equity II LP; and the prospectus for
each of the RIC and UCITS funds. Segregated account clients can and do impose reasonable
restrictions on their accounts. Individual limited partners may not impose investment restrictions on
management of the Global Equity LP or Global Equity II LP beyond those set out within the governing
agreements of the Funds.
The minimum segregated account size is generally $100 million or greater (or comparable values for
non-dollar currencies). Limits may be waived at the Firm’s discretion.
The Firm has capacity available in all three strategies, but this capacity is managed conservatively.
Given this conservative approach to the assets the Firm manages, the situation may arise in the future
where the Firm adopts a wait list approach to capacity management.
Under such a wait list approach, clients may be offered additional capacity based on a number of
factors, including but not limited to the amount of time on the waitlist, geographic distribution of
investors, concentration of relationships with consultants, investor type and the ability of the investor
to fund within 90 days’ notice of the offer of capacity. Additional capacity related to de minimis flows
of capital may be negotiated with existing clients (including investors in the Franchise Partners’ Funds)
and existing clients can move between the Franchise strategies without joining the wait list.
b) Management Team
Jayson Vowles is the managing partner and co-lead portfolio manager at Independent Franchise
Partners, LLP. He has 22 years of investment experience. Prior to the establishment of the Firm in
June 2009, Jayson was Vice President and a portfolio manager/research analyst for Global and
American Franchise portfolios at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, which he joined in August
2003. Previously, Jayson worked at Goldman Sachs and Deloitte & Touche. Jayson received a BComm.
and a post-graduate diploma in Accounting from the University of Natal. He is a Qualified Chartered
Accountant, a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and a CFA®
charterholder.
Michael Allison is a partner and co-lead portfolio manager of Independent Franchise Partners, LLP.
He has 26 years of investment experience. Prior to the establishment of the Firm in June 2009, Michael
was Executive Director
and a portfolio manager/research analyst for Global and American Franchise
portfolios at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. Michael joined Morgan Stanley in 2000 and
served as a portfolio manager for global and European equity portfolios before joining the Franchise
team in February 2005. Previously, Michael worked at NatWest Markets and Unilever. He received a
BComm and a post-graduate diploma in Management Accounting, both from the University of Natal.
He is a CFA® charterholder and a Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Richard Crosthwaite is a partner and portfolio manager at Independent Franchise Partners, LLP. He
joined the Firm in January 2014 and has 17 years of investment experience. Prior to joining the Firm,
Richard was a fund manager at Legal & General Investment Management. In this role he continued
his previous analyst responsibility for the TMT sector. Previously, Richard was a senior equity research
associate at Sanford C Bernstein Ltd, working with the firm’s Telecoms and European Media teams,
following earlier experience working in corporate finance. Richard received an M.A. in Classics from
the University of Cambridge.
Sandeep Ghela is a partner and the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for
Independent Franchise Partners, LLP. He joined Independent Franchise Partners, LLP in March 2010
as the Head of Middle Office and has 25 years of industry experience. Before joining the Firm, Sandeep
was a managing consultant within the Financial Services Practice of Navigant Consulting where his role
included providing the Firm with operations advice and management. Sandeep’s career focus has
been in investment operations and technology, with consulting roles at Navigant Consulting (Europe)
and, prior to that, consulting and operational roles in South Africa at Morse Management Consulting,
Microgen and Momentum Advisory and Administration Services. Sandeep received a BComm.
(Accounting) from the University of the Witwatersrand and has a Registered Persons Qualification
from the Institute of Financial Markets and a Higher Certificate in Insurance from the Insurance
Institute of South Africa.
Karim Ladha is a partner and portfolio manager at Independent Franchise Partners, LLP. He joined
Independent Franchise Partners, LLP in May 2011 and has 16 years of industry experience. Prior to
joining the Firm, Karim worked at Neptune Investment Management in London. Previously, Karim
performed both equity and fixed income research at Morgan Stanley Investment Management,
including working with the Franchise team. Karim received a B.A. (Hons) in Philosophy, Politics and
Economics at St John’s College, University of Oxford and an MBA from the University of Chicago and
is a CFA® Charterholder.
CFA definition:
The CFA is a graduate level self-study program offered by the CFA institute to investment and financial
professionals. In order to claim this designation a candidate must complete the CFA Program, possess
a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) from an accredited institution; have four years (48 months) of
qualified work experience (or a combination of education and work experience acceptable by the CFA
Institute); become a member of the CFA Institute and apply for membership to a local CFA member
society and adhere to the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. CFA®
and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.
c) Portfolio Management
The Firm was founded with the aim of offering the Franchise investment approach to institutional
investors through a dedicated, independent, investment management partnership. The Firm employs
a research process that is focused on identifying investment opportunities which demonstrate both
the quality and value characteristics that it believes can deliver sustainable, long-term investment
returns. Once identified, the Firm believes a patient, buy-and-hold approach is the best way to allow
these companies to compound wealth for shareholders over the long-term.
The Firm measures its success through its long-term investment results and enduring client
relationships. The partnership structure supports a focus on a single investment discipline; it directly
aligns its interests with its clients’ portfolio returns; and ensures ownership stability and the
consistency of commercial priorities.
The Firm’s portfolios are actively managed using a completely bottom-up approach driven by in-depth
fundamental qualitative research, supplemented by quantitative financial analysis. The Firm bases all
its investment decisions on primary sources of information. It places significant emphasis on
evaluating the health of a company’s underlying franchise and checking for symptoms of franchise
abuse.
d) Financial Planning
The Firm does not undertake any financial planning.
e) Describe other investment activities or specialties, if any
The Firm has only one discipline and there has been no change to the underlying Franchise philosophy
or fundamental approach since the inception of the philosophy in March 1996. The team’s approach
to investing has always been focused on identifying companies with exceptionally high-quality
Franchises and attractive absolute valuation characteristics. However, the Firm regularly reviews its
investment process and evaluates its investment tools.