WCM Partners announces Acacia Advisory role and investment plans WCM Partners Ltd.

14 February 2022

WCM Partners – a new investment management company founded by the team who led Woodford Investment Management – announces that it is working with Acacia Research (Nasdaq: ACTG), a publicly-traded investor in absolute return assets, to advise on Acacia’s portfolio of life sciences companies.

These stocks were all previously owned by LF Woodford Equity Income Fund (“LF WEIF”) and the portfolio was subsequently sold by Link Fund Solutions Limited (“LFS”) to Acacia in June 2020.

The assets will form the cornerstone of a new strategy to rebuild the Woodford investment operation under the WCM Partners brand, serving institutional and high net worth investors. Neil Woodford is the Chief Investment Officer of WCM Partners, which will be based in Buckinghamshire and Jersey.

Clifford Press, Chief Executive Officer of Acacia, said: “Neil Woodford has financed an extraordinary number of British life-sciences companies over the last 20 years. The scope of his involvement with these companies is unmatched in the UK

“He was the most successful portfolio manager for many, many years and I can tell you, in the course of my investment career I’ve met a few of the really legendary investors, and when I met Neil I knew I was standing in the presence of a truly exceptional investment manager.”

Neil Woodford, Chief Investment Officer of WCM Partners, said: “These stocks have already demonstrated the huge potential in the tech and biotech sectors where early stage, patient investment can deliver outstanding value. I am focusing all my energies on identifying value and providing that support.”

Source: WCM Partners