EC Pohl & Co strengthens UK presence with acquisition of Sanford DeLand Asset Management

EC Pohl & Co Pty Ltd has acquired UK investment management firm, Sanford DeLand Asset Management (SDL), effective 1 November 2025. SDL will operate as a wholly owned autonomous business with longstanding SDL co-managers, Eric Burns, David Beggs and Chloe Smith, remaining responsible for managing the SDL UK Buffettology and Free Spirit Funds. EC Pohl & Co’s executive chair and CIO, Dr Manny Pohl AM, will become chairman of SDL and Scott Barrett will become CFO of SDL.
Commenting on the acquisition, Dr Pohl said: “This acquisition of a licensed firm in the UK strengthens EC Pohl & Co’s global presence. We saw a strong alignment in investment approach and cultural values in SDL and the current team supported by Eric, David and Chloe has a solid and proven track record of delivering exceptional returns for investors since inception”.

EC Pohl & Co is a family office with investments in a number of companies providing financial services. Individually managed, share portfolio services are provided to sophisticated investors by its wholly owned subsidiary EC Pohl & Co Private Wealth and its other highly acclaimed associate, ECP Asset Management, offers investment management services to large institutional investors in Australia and to those globally via its ECP UCITS ICAV. EC Pohl & Co Private Wealth, ECP Asset Management and SDL will continue to operate as independent entities.
Global Masters Fund Limited is one of three listed investment companies in which EC Pohl & Co has an interest and it has 55% of its portfolio in Berkshire Hathaway.

Sanford DeLand was founded in 2010 by Keith Ashworth-Lord with a focus on UK equities. It currently has $700m in AUM, across two funds. The SDL UK Buffettology Fund is directly inspired by the investment principles of Warren Buffett, the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. These principles are often referred to as “Buffettology®”, a term popularized by Mary Buffett (Warren Buffett’s former daughter-in-law) and David Clark in their book “Buffettology”.

• Buffettology ® is synonymous with the Business Perspective Investing approach that Buffett has championed and includes:
  – Understanding the business thoroughly before investing (“circle of competence”)
  – Investing in high-quality businesses with strong competitive advantages (economic moats)
  – Focusing on long-term value, not short-term market movements
  – Buying at a sensible price, often using discounted cash flow and other intrinsic valuation models.

The acquisition has the support of Mary Buffett and David Clark who said; “Besides being a true gentleman, Manny Pohl is one of the great quality investors of the Anglosphere. Manny has been a follower of Warren Buffett and a Berkshire Hathaway shareholder for a very long time. We are both absolutely thrilled he is now connected with the UK Buffettology Fund as a permanent member of our Buffettology family.”

EC Pohl & Co will support SDL in its next growth stage by providing it with operational resources and a broader reach without disruption to the team or the funds. SDL’s founder and CIO, Keith Ashworth-Lord, will remain with the business until next year to ensure a seamless transition before his planned retirement.

“Having known Manny Pohl for some time, I’m very confident EC Pohl & Co is the right long-term steward of Sanford DeLand. The most important aspect for me is alignment on investment philosophy and ensuring the SDL investment team maintains decision-making autonomy while gaining the backing of a larger, supportive parent company,” said Keith Ashworth-Lord, CIO of Sanford DeLand Asset Management. “Investment continuity is key for us as we start the transition to ensure no disruption for investors in the Buffettology and Free Spirit Funds.”
“We are looking forward to working with the Sanford DeLand team and extend our sincere thanks to Keith and our warmest wishes as he prepares for retirement next year,” said Dr Pohl.

This acquisition follows EC Pohl & Co’s acquisition of an equity stake in the UK-listed investment trust, Athelney Trust Plc, in 2022.