Broadridge announces the winners of its 2025 Distribution Achievement Awards, which will be featured during the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI) Global Asset Management Conference in Luxembourg March 25-26, 2025. This year marks the eighth edition of the awards, which were founded to recognise excellence across all aspects of fund distribution. In particular, the awards celebrate the hard work and ingenuity of marketing and communications and client service teams in the fund distribution industry – as well as acknowledge thought-leaders and pioneers in innovation, ESG, ETFs, and private markets.

“Broadridge’s global distribution awards offer unique recognition of excellence across various critical aspects of fund distribution. Based on our in-depth annual survey of Europe’s key third-party fund selectors, it is important to emphasise that the results truly reflect the voice of the market,” commented Lynn Pattinson, Senior Director, Broadridge Global Distribution Insights. “Our nominees and winners this year have all exhibited their skill at leading while simultaneously keeping pace with the rapidly changing demands and needs of their clients. In recognition of the ever-changing landscape, this year we have introduced three new award categories: Top Provider for ETFs, for Private Equity, and for Private Debt.”

This year’s winners exemplify the exceptional talent and visionary approaches that are propelling the asset management sector into the future. Global heavyweights BlackRock and J.P. Morgan Asset Management are among the Top Providers recognised, while M&G Investments and J. Safra Sarasin are among the Fastest Risers.

The awards are based on responses from over 800 of Europe’s leading third-party fund selectors from Broadridge’s Fund Buyer Focus interviews conducted in the 12-month period to November 2024. The interviews seek to pinpoint the changing demands of Europe’s key fund distribution influencers, and to identify the fund providers that are delivering best-in-class standards. These fund selectors represent around €3trn of third-party client assets in Europe and provide a representative voice of investors in the ten markets they serve.

Award categories and winners:

Client Service Award

Top Provider: J.P. Morgan Asset Management
Fastest Riser: M&G Investments

In an era of intensifying competition and significant consolidation, client service is a more vital differentiator than ever before for firms looking to distinguish themselves in a crowded marketplace. The relationship between sales teams and clients has been evolving for years and has developed into a much more holistic partnership – with client service teams required to meet and exceed client expectations across a wide range of touchpoints.

The award in this category goes to J.P. Morgan Asset Management, which has recently made waves by unseating Fidelity from its long-standing position atop the leaderboard for client service excellence. J.P. Morgan Asset Management made significant gains, and ultimately outstripped second-placed Fidelity by 24 medals and over 60 points to claim the top spot.

Meanwhile, M&G Investments has emerged as the Fastest Riser, demonstrating remarkable progress with a growth rate of over 28% – a performance that significantly outpaces its peers. This impressive growth highlights M&G Investments' commitment to continuous improvement in service delivery and sets a high bar for other firms looking to improve their client service offering.

Marketing & Communications Award

Top Provider: BlackRock

Fastest Riser: Carnegie Fonder

Firms faced a difficult climate in 2024 when it came to marketing and communications. An uncertain operating environment and major cultural shifts presented challenges for teams operating in this space, and the sudden rise of new communications technologies also proved a major disruptor.

BlackRock once again retained its spot atop the leaderboard, fighting off stiff competition from the likes of J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Fidelity to claim a narrow victory. The industry giant has made this category its own in recent years, and the firm’s continued hold over the apex of the leaderboard is all the more impressive considering some of the marketing and communications challenges that BlackRock has faced in recent years.

Meanwhile, Carnegie Fonder made tremendous strides with their performance to take home the Fastest Riser award in this category. Their growth percentage points of over 90% dwarfed the competition – with second and third places in the 20-30% growth range. In fact, their performance was so impressive that the Swedish firm was able to break into the top-20 overall Marketing and Communications ranking – a very impressive achievement for a Fastest Riser.

ESG Award

Top Provider: Robeco
Fastest Riser: J. Safra Sarasin

After several years of almost unprecedented hype and growth, the last few years have proved far rockier terrain for firms operating in the ESG space. The ‘green backlash’ hit new heights in 2024, as increased scrutiny and accusations of greenwashing collided with ESG’s emergence as a culture war touchpoint, to create a perfect storm.

In this new operating environment, firms must work harder than ever to demonstrate their environmental bona fides, avoid accusations of greenwashing, and demonstrate that ESG investments can not only meet the social and environmental objectives of major institutional shareholders, but also satisfy firms’ fiduciary duties and deliver profits.

Robeco’s legacy as an early pioneer of ESG and thematic investing – as well as the firm’s proven environmental track record in recent years – allowed them to consolidate their healthy lead over their competitors this year. Therefore, it is no surprise to see Robeco come out on top in this category, as the firm wins the award for the seventh consecutive year – outstripping their second-placed competition by over 50 medals.

The Fastest Riser award in this category goes to J.Safra Sarasin – whose whopping growth rate of over 90% represents a massive lead over the rest of the competition. In fact, their huge improvement left them just outside of the top 10 overall in the ESG category.

Innovation

Top Provider: BlackRock
Fastest Riser: VanEck

The asset management sector – and indeed the financial services industry more broadly – has faced an unprecedented level of change in recent years. The rapid rise of new technologies has majorly disrupted the landscape – with the success or failure of many firms depending on their ability to adapt to rapidly shifting market conditions and leverage new technologies: developing innovative investment strategies, adopting cutting-edge data analytics, and incorporating artificial intelligence in decision-making processes, in order to deliver personalised client solutions, optimise investment outcomes, and provide better client service, ensuring they remain relevant and competitive in the digital age.

BlackRock came out on top of the innovation category. While some major global firms may find their sheer scale acts as an impediment to the agile work of innovation, BlackRock was able to leverage its significant resources and technological prowess to shape the future of finance. The firm has consistently demonstrated an ability to harness cutting-edge technology, such as its Aladdin platform, which offers robust risk management and analytical capabilities to both internal teams and external clients. By fostering a culture of creativity and continuous improvement, BlackRock not only adapts to the changing landscape but often sets industry standards.

VanEck took home the Fastest Riser award in this category. Their impressive growth % point total of over 70% more than doubled that of their second-placed rival, making them runaway leaders in this category. Their performance was impressive enough to earn them a spot in the leaderboard – with a 15th place overall finish in the innovation category capping an impressive 2024 performance for the US firm.

Most Used ETF Provider

Top Provider: iShares

Another win for the BlackRock group, as their subsidiary iShares takes home the award for most-used ETF provider. iShares won this category in an absolute rout, almost 1,000 points ahead of second place.

With a strong swing in favour of ETFs as a modern investment vehicle, iShares is well-positioned to harvest the fruits of a quarter century spent attempting to grow the ETF market. Benefitting from BlackRock’s supermarket style offering, and an innovative, technology-led approach, iShares is favourably placed to make the most of a surge of interest in ETFs.

Most Used Private Equity

Top Provider: Partners Group

Partners Group swept the board in the private markets space, taking home both awards. In the ‘Most Used Private Equity’ category, the firm’s distinctive approach – combining an industrial and entrepreneurial mindset with their strong thematic investment capabilities – sets them apart from the competition.

Partners Group’s deep thematic research into high-conviction sub-sectors sets the benchmark in the private equity sector, with strong performances across key industry verticals, such as technology and health.

Most Used Private Debt

Top Provider: Partners Group

Partners Group also won the award for ‘Most Used Private Debt’ for their exemplary approach in managing credit portfolios on a global scale. Partners Group’s strategy, anchored in rigorous due diligence and a commitment to delivering consistent returns, appealed to fund selectors, and allowed Partners Group to see off strong competition from the rest of the top five.

Asia Pacific

Best in Class: AllianceBernstein

The Asia-Pacific region remains a growth engine for funds generally and for cross-border funds in particular.   A specialist bond fund manager with an excellent performance track record, AllianceBernstein is a well-known brand in APAC that has gained the trust of investors. The firm’s product suite has been a good fit for investors during periods of market volatility as it allows for switching depending on market conditions.

LatAm

Best in Class: PIMCO

PIMCO is a global leader in active fixed income with deep expertise in both public and private markets. A major player in the LatAm AFP (private sector pension funds) market, the firm’s products stand out for their specialisation in fixed income, and for the consistently high level of quality that they have maintained over time.