Harbor Funds [profile] has fired one subadvisor and hired another, the mutual fund shop announced today.

The subadvisory mandate is worth around$220 million in AUM.

Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited will now be subadvising the Harbor International Growth Fund [HAIGX], taking over for Marsico Capital Management. Harbor's trustees said that the subadvisory fees were unchanged.

Marsico Capital held the subadvisory mandate for the fund since 2004. Over that time, ex-Goldman Sachs sales executive James Gendelman has PMed the fund along with a similar Marsico fund (Marsico International Opportunities). Baillie Gifford will use four PMs to fill Gendelman's shoes.

Marsico seems to be on the outs with Harbor's subadvisory team. Last August, Harbor closed another fund subadvised by Marsico: the Marsico/Harbor Flexible Capital Fund. In that case, PM Doug Rao had left Marsico to join Chautauqua Capital Management. Rao's departure was not the only key defection. Marsico Global PM Cory Gilchrist left at the end of September. At that time, Gendelman took over Gilchrist's duties.

Calls out to Harbor Funds and Marsico Capital and Baillie Gifford were not returned.

---

Company Press Release

Harbor Funds Appoints Baillie Gifford To Manage Harbor International Growth Fund

CHICAGO, May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Harbor Funds Board of Trustees has appointed Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited as subadviser to Harbor International Growth Fund effective May 21, 2013. Baillie Gifford succeeds Marsico Capital Management, LLC, which had served as subadviser since March 1, 2004.

"We wish to express our appreciation to Marsico Capital Management for their dedicated service to our shareholders," said Harbor Funds Chairman David G. Van Hooser. "At the same time, we welcome Baillie Gifford as the new portfolio management team of the Harbor International Growth Fund."

Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Baillie Gifford & Co., is a U.S. registered investment adviser based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Baillie Gifford & Co. is a privately owned investment management firm that has been in operation since 1908. Baillie Gifford & Co. had approximately $142 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2013.

Baillie Gifford employs a team-based approach to making investment decisions for the Harbor International Growth Fund. That team is comprised of Gerard Callahan, Iain Campbell, Joe Faraday and Paul Faulkner, each of whom is a Portfolio Manager of Baillie Gifford and a member of Baillie Gifford's International Focus Portfolio Construction Group. Mr. Callahan is Chair of the International Focus Portfolio Construction Group and is Head of UK Equities at Baillie Gifford.

Harbor International Growth Fund has an investment goal of long-term growth of capital by investing primarily in equity securities, including common and preferred stocks, of foreign companies that the Fund's subadviser believes will experience growth and benefit from sustainable competitive advantages in their markets. The Fund may invest in companies of any size located in, or economically tied to, any country or region outside the U.S., including developed and emerging market countries. The Fund had net assets of approximately $220 million as of March 31, 2013.

Under normal market conditions, the Baillie Gifford investment team will invest primarily (at least 65% of the Fund's total net assets) in companies located outside the U.S. that they believe can exhibit sustained, above-average growth with attractive financial characteristics. Baillie Gifford uses proprietary, fundamental research to seek to identify companies for investment.

Stocks fluctuate in price and the value of an investment in the Harbor International Growth Fund may go down. Over time, a growth-oriented investing style may go in and out of favor, which may cause the Fund to sometimes underperform equity funds that use different investing styles. Since the Fund invests primarily in securities of foreign companies, there is a greater risk that the Fund's share price will fluctuate more than if the Fund invested in domestic companies.

The Harbor Funds lineup of actively managed, no-load mutual funds had combined net assets of $74 billion as of March 31, 2013. Each Harbor fund is managed by an institutional investment firm selected by Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc. based on the firm's experience in a specific asset class. 

Stay ahead of the news ... Sign up for our email alerts now
CLICK HERE