A veteran business development fundster on the West Coast has joined a U.K. fund manager to boost the firm's U.S. presence.

On January 19, Rudy Garza joined London-based Polar Capital as director of business development for the western U.S. He most recently served as a portfolio specialist and worked on consultant relations and business development, also for the western U.S., at Royce [profile]. (Garza's move comes after Franklin Templeton bought Royce's parent, Legg Mason, last summer.)

A company spokesperson at Royce confirms Garza's departure and adds, "We wish him the best of luck, and we hope he enjoys his future endeavors."

Garza, based in El Segundo, California, tells MFWire, "Essentially, I'll be doing the same job for Polar."

"One of the reasons [Polar] has brought me aboard is to start offering their services and strategies here in the U.S. It's myself out here in the west for now, and Alistair Barrie in New York, who covers the east, is my boss."

Garza says Polar Capital has had a presence within the U.S. for a relatively short amount of time, with Barrie having joined the firm around one year ago. Garza says some clients predate the hiring both of the U.S. directors, but that Polar has not worked outside of the U.K. for long. Polar was founded in 2001. As of December 31, 2020, the company worked with $25.9 billion in AUM.

"Here in the U.S., we'll be doing mutual funds, but also focusing on the institutional marketplace," Garza says, noting that they'll be working with consultants and independent RIAs.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for me to help a well-respected, well-established U.K. firm build their business here in the U.S. It's really exciting."

Prior to his work at both Royce and Polar, Garza was vice president in account management, corporate clients, at PIMCO from 2010 to 2014. For five years before that, he served as vice president and portfolio specialist at Western Asset. He also worked at Wilshire and worked at Pimco in an earlier stint. Garza is an alumnus of the University of Arizona and the University of Southern California.  

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