BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Loomis, Sayles & Company, an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers, announced today that Aziz Hamzaogullari has been named Chief Investment Officer of the Growth Equity Strategies (GES) team, which includes the Loomis Sayles Large Cap Growth, All Cap Growth and Global Growth portfolios. This appointment is in recognition of his important and valuable thought leadership at Loomis Sayles as well as the significant contribution that Growth Equity Strategies has made to the Loomis Sayles equity platform. As portfolio manager and founder of the team’s investment philosophy and process, Aziz has developed and successfully implemented the alpha thesis that defines the research framework and underpins the success of all GES portfolios.

“As a team, we have a passion for the independent deep fundamental research required to identify those few great businesses with sustainable competitive advantages and secular growth when they trade at a significant discount to our estimate of intrinsic value,” said Aziz Hamzaogullari. “With Loomis Sayles' investment-centric culture, we thrive in an environment where the strong infrastructure, long-term vision and organizational support allow us to serve the best interests of our investors. I would like to thank all of our investors for their trust that we work very hard to earn every day and whom we look forward to serving for many years to come. ”

During his tenure as portfolio manager, Aziz and his team have delivered long-term superior risk-adjusted excess returns to investors. In an environment characterized by a significant shift to passive investment management, Mr. Hamzaogullari’s differentiated active investment approach has resonated with investors, driving GES platform assets to over $52 billion1 from $2 billion since joining Loomis Sayles eight years ago. The GES team’s assets account for nearly 20% of Loomis Sayles’ total assets under management and more than 80% of total equity assets under management. The commitment and effort of Aziz and his team have advanced not only the Loomis Sayles equity platform, but also the Loomis Sayles brand globally with GES investors in Asia, Europe, North America and South America.

“As CIO of Growth Equity Strategies, Aziz continues his strategic oversight of the entire GES platform. This appointment acknowledges the disciplined and dedicated work Aziz does each and every day – and the tremendous value it delivers for our investors,” said Kevin Charleston, chief executive officer. “Aziz has differentiated himself in the marketplace through his unique growth equity alpha thesis. The consistent implementation of this investment philosophy, process and decision-making has been essential to his success, and we believe it will continue to set him apart in the future.”

“Aziz is the architect of the truly differentiated investment process that underlies all GES portfolios,” said Jae Park, chief investment officer. “He has effectively identified persistent market inefficiencies and has painstakingly constructed a rigorous and repeatable process for capitalizing on those inefficiencies.”

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: AZIZ V. HAMZAOGULLARI, CFA
Aziz Hamzaogullari is the chief investment officer and founder of the Growth Equity Strategies team at Loomis, Sayles & Company. He is the portfolio manager of the Loomis Sayles large cap, global and all cap growth strategies, including the Loomis Sayles Growth and Global Growth mutual funds and products outside the US. Aziz joined Loomis Sayles in 2010 from Evergreen Investments where he was a senior portfolio manager and managing director. He joined Evergreen in 2001, was promoted to director of research in 2003 and portfolio manager in 2006. Aziz was head of Evergreen’s Berkeley Street Growth Equity team and was the founder of the research and investment process. Prior to Evergreen, Aziz was a senior equity analyst and portfolio manager at Manning & Napier Advisors. He has 25 years of investment industry experience. Aziz earned a BS from Bilkent University, Turkey, and an MBA from George Washington University. He is also a member of CFA Society Boston.

ABOUT LOOMIS SAYLES
Since 1926, Loomis, Sayles & Company has helped fulfill the investment needs of institutional and mutual fund clients worldwide. The firm’s performance-driven investors integrate deep proprietary research and integrated risk analysis to make informed, judicious decisions. Teams of portfolio managers, strategists, research analysts and traders collaborate to assess market sectors and identify investment opportunities wherever they may lie, within traditional asset classes or among a range of alternative investments. Loomis Sayles has the resources, foresight and the flexibility to look far and wide for value in broad and narrow markets in its commitment to deliver attractive sustainable returns for clients. This rich tradition has earned Loomis Sayles the trust and respect of clients worldwide, for whom it manages $267.3 billion** in assets (as of September 30, 2018).

Total strategy assets include all assets managed by the respective team.
**Includes the assets of Loomis, Sayles & Co., LP, and Loomis Sayles Trust Company, LLC. Loomis Sayles Trust Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Loomis, Sayles & Company, LP.

ABOUT NATIXIS INVESTMENT MANAGERS
Natixis Investment Managers serves financial professionals with more insightful ways to construct portfolios. Powered by the expertise of 26 specialized investment managers globally, we apply Active Thinking? to deliver proactive solutions that help clients pursue better outcomes in all markets. Natixis ranks among the world’s largest asset management firms¹ ($988.4 billion / €846.5 billion AUM²).

Natixis Investment Managers includes all of the investment management and distribution entities affiliated with Natixis Distribution, L.P. and Natixis Investment Managers S.A.

¹Cerulli Quantitative Update: Global Markets 2018 ranked Natixis Investment Managers as the 16th largest asset manager in the world based on assets under management as of December 31, 2017.
²Net asset value as of June 30, 2018. Assets under management (“AUM”), as reported, may include notional assets, assets serviced, gross assets and other types of non-regulatory AUM.

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