SLI secures brace at Money Observer Investment Trust Awards

Standard Life Investments, a leading investment house, announced that it has won both the ‘Best Private Equity Trust' and ‘Best UK Small Companies Trust' at the Money Observer Investment Trust Awards 2008.

The Standard Life European Private Equity Trust PLC came first out of 15 trusts in the private equity sector, with the Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Trust PLC beating 21 other trusts in the UK Smaller Companies sector. Both awards were based on net asset value performance over the three years to 31 March 2008.

Standard Life Investments manages around £800m (as at 23.06.08) in four strongly performing investment trusts across a diverse range of asset classes - UK equity large cap, UK equity small cap, property and private equity.

Gordon Humphries, Head of Investment Companies, Standard Life Investments, said: "These two awards highlight the growing reputation of Standard Life Investments as an Investment Trust manager. Despite managing a relatively small amount of Investment Trusts, we have been able to demonstrate expertise in very divergent sectors of the industry - not least in the European Private Equity and UK Smaller Company sectors where we have picked up these two awards."

With £424.9m in gross assets (as at 31.03.08), the Standard Life European Private Equity Trust is managed by Peter McKellar and David Currie of SL Capital Partners LLP, which manages approximately £4bn (as at 31.03.08) on behalf of clients worldwide.

The Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Trust is managed by Harry Nimmo, Head of UK Smaller Companies, Standard Life Investments. It has approximately £50m in gross assets under management (as at 31.03.08). Overall, SLI manages around £1.3bn in UK Smaller Companies (as at 31.03.08).