A woman’s view on the world of investments – Natasha Narsingh

You’ll sleep better with an absolute return portfolio

Tell us more about your journey as an investment professional.

I started out as a junior investment analyst with Greenwich Asset Management. I then moved on to specialise in mining, later becoming a mining analyst. Being a woman, I was a somewhat atypical mining professional at conferences, site visits and management meetings, standing next to some of the rather burly mining engineers… At least I got through the tiny crevices of the gold mines with greater ease. As an analyst, I’ve been underground, 2km down, in gold mines, on oil rigs, and even in the De Beers diamond vaults in London. Sadly, viewing but not touching. I headed up a mining/resources team at my previous employ, been a portfolio manager of institutional and retail funds – in resources, general equity, balanced funds and now multi-asset class funds in the Absolute Return space since 2008.  It has been a fascinating journey and a true life’s blessing to have been in the fortunate position of personally meeting great captains of the industry.

Natasha Narsingh
Senior portfolio manager, Absolute Return at Sanlam Investment Management

Will investing with an absolute return mindset make an investor sleep better at night?

Yes, particularly for those investors for whom capital protection is a vital goal. Our absolute return proposition is one where we aim to deliver on the dual key goals of capital protection over a rolling 12-month period, as well as meeting the inflation targets (essentially preserving your purchasing power) over a rolling three- to five-year basis.

In the current environment, where there is much uncertainty on the economic and political front, locally and globally, it would be prudent to expect a fair degree of market volatility in the foreseeable future.  This is where an abolute return approach proves its value, as we are able to reduce the volatility funnel and better manage outcomes than most other product suites. Our long-term track record in the Absolute Return space has proven that that we have consistently delivered on our dual goals to our clients over the years, providing them with greater certainty in an increasingly uncertain world.  Sleep better at night – yes – perhaps include an afternoon cat nap as well.

In addition to being a portfolio manager, you’ve been actively engaging with clients. Can you describe your experiences and what client-centricity means to you?

It has been a phenomenal experience engaging with literally thousands of clients since 2011, a time in my personal journey at SIM when I decided it was necessary to get out and see clients more frequently, hear them and share our views with them. The journey gets more enriching with each new client, each new pitch and each new client reportback. For me, client-centricity means going all out to make sure that your clients’ needs are attended to, leaving no stone unturned and giving them the right to interrogate you until they are satisfied with the answers provided. It means having empathy, being honest, being true to who are, knowing your brand well enough to showcase it with the confidence it deserves, having humility , listening effectively to clients’ needs and concerns and always, always ensuring alignment between clients’ needs and the product you are offering. Being client-centric means having authentic conversations and making sure that seemingly complex issues are articulated in an easy-to-understand manner. Also, for me personally, it means displaying an attitude of gratitude – for the clients’ time and their consideration of us.