Geoff Wilson eyes Platinum play in wake of Regal bid
Challenger Group has also been linked with Platinum after Phil King's Regal Partners put the embattled global fund manager firmly in play.
Veteran fund manager Geoff Wilson is pondering a possible play for Platinum Asset Management in the wake of Regal Partners opportunistic bid for the Kerr Neilson-founded global equities manager.
As market expectations mount that Phil King's Regal could face competition in its pursuit of Platinum, the chief investment officer and chair of Wilson Asset Management confirmed to Capital Brief he was eyeing a potential move of his own. "It's an interesting play and we're assessing it," Wilson said.
Wilson founded his namesake investment business in 1997, and has pulled off several acquisitions since then on the road to expanding its funds under management to $5 billion, though none on the scale of Platinum which is capitalised at more than $600 million on the ASX.
He wouldn't be drawn on whether WAM would ultimately bid for Platinum, nor what shape any potential bid might take. But his comments are the clearest sign yet that other players in the market are interested in the embattled fund manager.
