Sarasin & Partners has appointed Fiona O’Neill as head of investment to “further strengthen it’s investment leadership and oversight”.
O’Neill joins from Fidelity International where she spent 20 years in a range of senior investment roles.
Most recently, she served as head of global equity research capabilities.
Her role at Sarasin & Partners begins on 2nd February 2026 where she will be responsible for overseeing Sarasin & Partners’ thematic equity investment process, including equity research and stewardship.
O’Neill’s appointment streamlines management responsibilities within the equity team, allowing portfolio managers, Tom Wildgoose and Nikki Martin “to focus more fully on investment decision-making”.
She will also join the Investment Strategy Group.
The appointment follows Sam Jeffries’ promotion to head of asset management in 2025 as well as the promotion of Tom Vernon to head of private clients.
Jeffries said: “The addition of Fiona significantly strengthens our investment leadership and brings greater clarity and focus to the structure of our equity team. By streamlining responsibilities, we are ensuring our portfolio managers have the time and capacity to concentrate on high-quality decision-making, while further enhancing the depth, consistency and effectiveness of our thematic equity research.
“Fiona brings exceptional experience from a global platform, and her research insight and risk oversight will be invaluable as we continue to evolve our investment process for the benefit of clients.”
O’Neill added “Sarasin & Partners has a strong investment philosophy, underpinned by high-conviction thematic research and a clear focus on long-term outcomes for clients. I look forward to working closely with the investment team to further strengthen our research capabilities, embed themes into portfolio construction and deliver market-leading investment outcomes for our clients.”