Murray International Trust has announced that Simon Fraser, the trust’s chair and former chief investment officer of Fidelity International, has passed away.

“The directors of the company announce, with deep sadness, that Simon Fraser, the chairman of the company, died in the early hours of 9 August 2021 following a short illness,” the trust stated.

Fraser joined the board in May 2020 and was appointed chair in April this year and “had already, in this short time, contributed significantly to the company,” it added.

The trust’s directors extended their sincerest condolences to Fraser’s family.

Fraser made a significant impact on the investment arena over the past few decades, starting his career in 1981 by joining Fidelity International and later becoming its chief investment officer, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He left the asset management firm in 2008 after a 28-year stint, and went on to chair several trusts, including the F&C Investment Trust, Merchants Trust and Murray International Trust.

Fraser also co-founded the UK stewardship group The Investment Forum in 2014 following Professor John Kay’s review of UK equity markets and long-term decision making. He was due to hand over the chair position to Michael McLintock this October.

During Fraser’s tenure at the Investment Forum, over 50 asset managers and asset owners became members of the group, which together represent around 33% of the FTSE All Share market capitalisation.

At Murray International Trust, David Hardie, senior independent director, has agreed to become chair on an interim basis, and Alexandra Mackesy, non-executive director, has agreed to become senior independent director and to chair the remuneration committee.

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