Paris-headquartered AXA IM Select was named Global Leader in Asset Management and Multi-Manager Solutions at The European’s Global Banking & Finance Awards 2025. Here, its CEO and Global Head, Matthieu André, explains why innovation, ESG, and adaptability are shaping the future of asset management
In your opinion, what has made AXA IM Select stand out as a global leader in asset management and multi-manager solutions?
Firstly, thank you for the recognition – we are delighted to receive this accolade! It highlights the team’s diligent and ongoing commitment to providing the best possible outcomes for our clients. We’re very aware that today’s retail investors have very specific needs. As a specialist investment multi-manager, we are constantly seeking to tailor the right solutions for our investors. We aim to find who we believe to be the best managers to include in our portfolios, and we have the freedom to choose from across the full investment universe.
What initiatives or strategies do you think have contributed to this award?
As AXA IM Select has grown, innovation has been essential to ensure we are continually evolving. We have been able to develop and adapt our offering, creating bespoke solutions where needed for our clients. As client demand has shifted, we have revamped some of our solutions and launched several new funds across asset classes to remain relevant to their needs. The integration of AI has also been key in developing our processes, enhancing our capabilities and improving our efficiency. This has been seen in multiple areas of our business, from inclusion in the tools we use as part of our operational due diligence process, to the way we develop and localise marketing for the different regions we support.
In a world with so many investment options, what do multi-managers need for success?
In the first instance, we believe clients appreciate variety: our open architecture model allows us to provide investors with greater choice, and as such, our offering is diversified across a range of sectors, geographies and asset classes.
Secondly, expertise to find the best opportunities: we have a strong and diverse investment team, with investment offices across the world, allowing us to leverage an array of insights from many different sectors and industries.
And finally, an active and long-term approach: a key feature of our service is our continuous and active monitoring of portfolios. This means we can be agile and adjust allocations in response to changing conditions, while also taking advantage of opportunities as they arise.
What are the main challenges and opportunities you foresee for multi-manager investing in the coming years?
As the needs of investors and the investment environment evolve, it is important that we tailor the products we offer and our communication as much as possible to our clients. This will give us the opportunity to expand our investment toolkit, be it liquid active ETFs or private assets, allowing us to develop new solutions where needed.
What are your main focus areas for the year ahead?
Our key focus is to support AXA IM in its efforts to remain a recognised investment manager for retail clients. We are committed to understanding our customers’ investment needs, continually reviewing and managing the solutions we provide. As the market environment changes, we are well equipped to help clients diversify their portfolios, with the aim of ensuring they remain well positioned to meet their long-term investment objectives. Through clear and simple communication, we aim to help investors understand who we are and how we operate, delivering effective investor education, investment views and engaging product information.
How do you ensure alignment between your investment strategies and ESG principles?
Responsible investing is a key pillar of our investment philosophy and as such, we seek to invest in managers who follow a responsible investment process. We have integrated ESG due diligence in our own investment process. We have a range of investment products with sustainable investment objectives and have successfully launched dedicated funds in this area.
To gain more clarity on views towards ESG investing, and to better understand our clients, we recently undertook a comprehensive study of 12,000 end investors. Conducted across Europe and Asia, the study identified 5 key themes that matter for investors, from how they prioritise different ESG criteria to the need for clearer communications and transparency in relation to ESG investments. The study’s findings are publicly available and have assisted in driving change both internally, in the development of our product offer and educational content, and externally, raising awareness of retail investors’ perceptions and understanding of ESG investing.
Further information
select.axa-im.com
