The appointment followed the firm’s launch of its first Australian registered unit trust, which would be available to institutional investors from this month and would offer them access to its Global High Alpha strategy, the firm said.
Launched in collaboration with Equity Trustees Limited, which would act as a responsible entity (RE), the new fund would aim to find investment opportunities across developed and emerging markets.
River and Mercantile chief executive of asset management, James Barham, said the firm has had clients in Australia and New Zealand since 2013 and decided it was a key priority to build a greater presence in the region.
Horan, who previously headed the sports and entertainment business in private and premium banking at Westpac, would be responsible for building relationships across the institutional, wholesale and family office markets.
“The launch of the first River and Mercantile unit trust in Australia represents an important milestone in River and Mercantile’s rich history,” Barham said.