Whiteoak leaves AXA Framlington

AXA Framlington star fund manager Roger Whiteoak, manager of the UK Smaller Companies fund, has left the firm.

He will be replaced on the fund and the Throgmorton trust by Chris St John who has been alternate manager on the portfolios.

St John joined AXA Framlington in 2005 and is the primary fund manager for the institutional small cap strategies and the mid and small cap unconstrained strategies.

Robert Kyprianou, CEO AXA Framlington, says: "As our primary fund manager for our institutional small and mid cap strategies Chris has demonstrated his skill and investment expertise.

"Chris has been pivotal in the development of our small and mid cap business in the last few years and has been a successful investor in small caps in all market conditions. This appointment is an exciting development for our business. ”

Whiteoak has been at AXA Framlington since 2000. He started his career as a trainee at Duncan Lawrie Private Bank, becoming an analyst in UK smaller companies and a manager of ethical funds.

He then moved to Laurence Keen (which became Rathbones Unit Trust Management) in January 1996. At Rathbones, he managed the UK Smaller Companies Unit Trust and the Capital Growth Fund.

The £133.3m Axa Framlington UK Smaller Companies fund has recently had a drop off in performance and is fourth quartile year to date, down 9.7%.