What Fairlight Asset Management does

Fairlight Asset Management Pty Ltd is an Australian boutique investment management firm headquartered at Level 11, 10 Carrington Street, Sydney. Founded in November 2018 by Nicholas Cregan, the firm operates as a Corporate Authorised Representative (No. 001277649) of AFSL No. 000247293 and serves Australian wholesale and retail advised investors through a single concentrated global equity product. Its sole offering, the Fairlight Global Small & Mid Cap Fund, invests in 30-40 global small and mid-capitalisation businesses across developed and emerging markets and is offered in two currency share classes (Class A unhedged, Class H hedged).

The firm's investment process applies a Quality, Growth, Valuation, and Management (QGVM) framework with a stated 100-day new-position rule and incorporates an internally developed ESG scoring system. The investment team comprises three Portfolio Manager partners (Cregan, Dowd, Peggion), a fourth Portfolio Manager (Abbey Cook), a Quant Analyst (Hero Gunawan), and a Marketing & Brand lead, totalling six personnel. All partners personally invest alongside clients in the fund, aligning incentives with external unit holders, and the firm is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI).

Revenue is generated exclusively through management fees on fund AUM, with no public fee schedule and no disclosed AUM or revenue. Distribution is intermediated: the fund is accessible on 18+ Australian wealth platforms including Netwealth, BT Wrap, Colonial First Wrap, Hub24, Macquarie Wrap, and Mason Stevens, and is serviced to financial advisers through a distribution partnership with Perennial Partners. Operational infrastructure is outsourced to Mainstream Fund Services as Administrator and Trust Company (RE Services) as Responsible Entity. The firm has accumulated multiple third-party endorsements, including Zenith Fund Awards wins in the Global Small Companies category in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024, and a 2025 Lonsec Recommended rating for both share classes. Since inception in November 2018 through June 2026, the fund returned 7.9% p.a. net of fees, underperforming its MSCI World SMID benchmark and trailing the firm's stated 8-12% p.a. net return target.

Name

Fairlight Asset Management

Legal name

Fairlight Asset Management Pty Ltd

Website

https://fairlightam.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fairlight Asset Management is a Sydney-based boutique investment manager founded in 2018 that runs a single concentrated global small and mid-cap equity fund for Australian wholesale and retail advised investors, distributed via 18+ platforms and the Perennial Partners adviser network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Active Equity Fund Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Open-End Investment Funds (525910)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Mid-Cap Equity (Active) (FSAAAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

ESG/SRI/Impact Mutual Funds (FSAAAEAI)

Keywords

• Global small mid cap investing
• Active equity management
• Quality growth equities
• International equities fund
• Concentrated portfolio investing

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fund Management Fees: Fairlight Asset Management generates revenue through management fees charged on the Fairlight Global Small & Mid Cap Fund. The fund charges management fees and expenses as disclosed in the Product Disclosure Statement. The company is a Corporate Authorised Representative (No 001277649) of AFSL No 000247293, managed by The Trust Company (RE Services) Limited as Responsible Entity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fairlight Asset Management manages the Fairlight Global Small & Mid Cap Fund, a concentrated long-only portfolio of 30-40 high-quality global small and mid-cap companies. The fund employs a bottom-up, benchmark-unaware investment approach targeting 8-12% p.a. returns after fees through a market cycle, with an emphasis on business quality, valuation discipline, and ESG screening. The fund is offered in two share classes: Class A (AUD unhedged) and Class H (currency-hedged).

Product overview

Fairlight Asset Management offers a single, unified investment fund — the Fairlight Global Small & Mid Cap Fund — structured in two share classes: Class A (unhedged, in AUD) and Class H (currency-hedged). The fund employs a bottom-up, benchmark-unaware approach focusing on high-quality businesses with strong returns on capital, low debt, and competent management. Class A and Class H differ only in currency hedging strategy, sharing the same underlying portfolio, investment process, and team.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fairlight Global Small & Mid Cap Fund A concentrated, long-only quality investment fund investing in 30-40 global small and mid-cap companies (US$500m to $40bn market cap), benchmark-unaware with an 8-12% p.a. return objective through market cycles. Available to Australian investors via Class A (unhedged) and Class H (currency-hedged) share classes across 18+ platforms and through financial advisors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Since inception (Nov 2018) to June 2026: 7.9% p.a. net of all fees
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Perennial PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPerennial Partners serves as the distribution partner for Fairlight Asset Management, providing dedicated distribution team contacts for investor enquiries and advisor support across Australian regions.
• The Trust Company (RE Services) LimitedcoreOthersThe Trust Company (RE Services) Limited, part of the Perpetual Group, serves as the Responsible Entity for the Fairlight Global Small & Mid Cap Fund. Responsible for fund governance, compliance, and investor relations.
• Apex Fund ServicescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerApex Fund Services serves as the fund administrator, providing unit pricing, registry services, and investor transaction processing. Contact: 1300 133 451.
• Ernst & YoungminorOthersErnst & Young serves as the independent auditor for the Fairlight Global Small & Mid Cap Fund.
• UN Principles for Responsible InvestmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFairlight is a signatory to the UN PRI, committing to incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis, ownership practices, and reporting. This alignment shapes their responsible investment approach.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• L1 Capital: Australian active global equities manager (long-short and long-only). Comparable in boutique scale, Australian platform distribution, and fundamental long-only global equity offering.
• Cooper Investors: Boutique Melbourne-based Australian active global equities manager pursuing a quality-compounder approach with concentrated holdings. Comparable to Fairlight in investment philosophy, target Australian wholesale/retail customer, and platform-led distribution.
• Antipodes Partners: Australian active global equities manager running long-only and long-short strategies, distributed predominantly through Australian platforms and advisors. Directly comparable in target market, distribution channels, and active global equity approach.
• Magellan Asset Management: Australian-listed active global equities manager best known for its concentrated, quality-focused flagship fund. Highly comparable to Fairlight in target customer (Australian wholesale/retail via platforms and advisors), concentrated portfolio philosophy, and benchmark-aware global equity approach.
• Munro Partners: Australian boutique global growth equities manager founded by former Magellan PM Nick Griffin. Comparable in target Australian wholesale investor, advisor-driven distribution model, and concentrated global equity philosophy.
• Platinum Asset Management: Australian-listed active global equities manager running concentrated, benchmark-unaware portfolios. Comparable in active global equity approach, Australian advisor-led distribution, and quality-tilted stock selection philosophy.
• VGI Partners (now part of Regal Partners): Australian-based concentrated global equities manager (originally long-short, now long-only) built on a quality-compounder philosophy. Directly comparable to Fairlight in concentrated long-only global equity positioning and Australian wholesale distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Perpetual Investment Management: Major Australian asset manager with a broad multi-asset and global equities product range, including the Perpetual Global Equities Fund (where PM Abbey Cook previously worked). Serves as Responsible Entity for Fairlight's fund; comparable as a broad incumbent in the same Australian wholesale market.
• BlackRock Australia: Largest global asset manager with a substantial Australian iShares ETF and active fund presence. Competes for the same Australian wholesale investor AUM via platform distribution and active global equity offerings, though at much broader scale and mostly index/ETF-led.
• Schroders Australia: Global asset manager with a significant Australian institutional and wholesale presence, including active global and emerging market equities. Founder Nicholas Cregan previously held senior PM roles here; serves as a broad incumbent competing for the same Australian wholesale wallet.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fairlight Asset Management