Janus Henderson Expands Leadership Across Global Equities
Janus Henderson Investors is strengthening its global equities franchise with two senior investment appointments that will add experience and leadership across its equity portfolio management and research operations.
The firm announced that Helen Jewell will join Janus Henderson as Head of EMEA & Asia Pacific Equities on December 1, 2026. Based in London, Jewell will oversee equity portfolio management and research teams across the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions and will become a member of the Janus Henderson Executive Committee.
Separately, Shilpee Raina will join the firm on January 1, 2027, as Lead Portfolio Manager of the Janus Henderson Forty Fund and the Transformational Growth ETF (JXX). Based in New York, Raina will work alongside current Portfolio Manager Brian Recht, who will continue to manage the strategies.
The appointments come as Janus Henderson continues to develop its global investment capabilities and strengthen the leadership supporting its active equity strategies.
Helen Jewell to Lead EMEA and Asia Pacific Equities
Jewell brings extensive experience in investment leadership, fundamental research and global equity management to her new role at Janus Henderson.
At the firm, she will be responsible for leading equity portfolio management and research teams across EMEA and Asia Pacific. Her responsibilities will include supporting investment capabilities across the regions, strengthening collaboration among investment teams and helping oversee the development of talent and research processes.
Jewell will also join the Janus Henderson Executive Committee, giving her a broader leadership role within the organization.
She joins Janus Henderson from BlackRock, where she most recently served as International CIO, Fundamental Equities. In that position, she had responsibility for investment oversight across the firm’s non-U.S. fundamental active equity platform.
Her responsibilities at BlackRock included investment research, investment processes, portfolio manager talent and engagement with external markets.
During more than a decade at BlackRock, Jewell held several senior positions. She previously served as CIO, Fundamental Equities, EMEA, as well as Global Director of Research, Fundamental Active Equities.
Her experience has therefore covered both regional and global investment leadership, including responsibility for research organizations and active equity investment capabilities.
Extensive Career in Fundamental Equities
Before joining BlackRock, Jewell spent approximately a decade at Goldman Sachs.
At Goldman Sachs, she served as EMEA Deputy Director of Research within Global Investment Research. The role gave her experience working across investment research and financial markets in the European region.
Earlier in her career, Jewell worked in Utilities Investment Banking at Deutsche Bank.
Her academic background includes a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Oxford. She is also a CFA charterholder.
Her combination of investment research, portfolio management oversight and leadership experience will form the foundation of her responsibilities at Janus Henderson.
The appointment adds another senior investment professional to Janus Henderson’s leadership structure at a time when the firm continues to emphasize fundamental research and active investment management.
Shilpee Raina Joins U.S. Equities Leadership
Raina will join Janus Henderson as Lead Portfolio Manager of the Forty Fund and Transformational Growth ETF.
She will manage the strategies alongside Brian Recht, who will remain a Portfolio Manager.
The new partnership brings together Raina’s more than two decades of experience investing across the large-cap equity spectrum with Recht’s established knowledge of the strategies and their investment processes.
According to Janus Henderson, the investment team will maintain the established philosophy behind the strategies. This includes a high-conviction approach focused on identifying high-quality businesses with durable competitive advantages and long-term growth potential.
The transition is designed to preserve continuity in the investment approach while adding Raina’s experience to the portfolio management team.
Raina’s Background at J.P. Morgan Asset Management
Raina joins Janus Henderson from J.P. Morgan Asset Management, where she served as Co-Portfolio Manager for the Large Cap Core Equity Strategy within the U.S. Equity Group.
Before becoming a portfolio manager, she worked as a Research Analyst for the JPMorgan Equity Income and U.S. Value Funds, with responsibility for covering the consumer sector.
Raina joined J.P. Morgan Asset Management in 2005 and has spent more than two decades developing experience across large-cap equities, fundamental research and portfolio management.
Her background includes analyzing companies across sectors and applying fundamental investment research to portfolio construction.
Raina earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, with concentrations in finance and accounting. She is also a CFA charterholder.
Her experience is expected to complement the existing capabilities of the Janus Henderson equity team as she takes on leadership responsibilities for the Forty Fund and Transformational Growth ETF.
Maintaining the Forty Fund’s Investment Philosophy
The Forty Fund is a concentrated large-cap growth strategy that uses a fundamental, research-driven investment process.
The strategy invests with conviction in a relatively focused portfolio of approximately 30 to 40 large-cap growth ideas.
Its approach emphasizes identifying companies that the investment team believes possess strong business characteristics and long-term growth potential.
Raina’s appointment will not change the strategy’s established investment philosophy. Instead, she will work with Recht to continue implementing the existing approach.
The combination of continuity and additional portfolio management experience is intended to support the strategy as it moves through the leadership transition.
Transformational Growth ETF Continues Fundamental Approach
Raina will also serve as Lead Portfolio Manager for the Transformational Growth ETF (JXX).
The ETF combines bottom-up fundamental security selection with a top-down thematic perspective.
Its investment approach focuses on long-term structural trends that can influence industries and companies over extended periods.
Themes associated with the strategy include artificial intelligence, deglobalization, health care innovation, digitization and migration to the cloud.
The strategy’s combination of company-level fundamental analysis and broader thematic research provides a framework for identifying businesses positioned within long-term changes in the economy and financial markets.
Raina’s background in large-cap equities and fundamental research will be integrated into this existing investment framework.
Brian Recht Continues as Portfolio Manager
Recht will continue as Portfolio Manager for both the Forty Fund and Transformational Growth ETF.
His continued involvement provides investment-process continuity and preserves his knowledge of the strategies, portfolios and research framework.
The partnership between Recht and Raina is expected to combine established strategy knowledge with Raina’s broader experience across large-cap equities.
This structure also provides a transition path as the firm prepares for Nick Schommer’s departure.
Leadership Transition Following Lucas Klein’s Retirement
Jewell will succeed Lucas Klein, who is retiring from the asset management industry after nearly three decades in financial and professional services.
Klein has played a significant role in Janus Henderson’s equities organization and has contributed to the development of the firm’s investment capabilities and leadership culture.
The firm credited Klein with making substantial contributions to its equities business and to the clients it serves.
The transition will involve Jewell working closely with Klein before his retirement to support continuity within the EMEA and Asia Pacific equities organization.
This period of collaboration is intended to facilitate the transfer of responsibilities and institutional knowledge.
Nick Schommer to Depart Janus Henderson
Raina will succeed Portfolio Manager Nick Schommer, who will depart Janus Henderson after 13 years with the firm.
Schommer has been part of the firm’s Denver equities team and has contributed to the management of its investment strategies during his tenure.
Janus Henderson said Schommer’s investment expertise and contributions have been important to the firm’s equities organization.
Raina will work closely with Schommer during the transition period to support an orderly transfer of responsibilities.
Following Schommer’s departure, Ed Su will remain Portfolio Manager of the Janus Henderson Contrarian Fund.
The continuation of Su’s role provides stability for the Contrarian Fund while the changes take place within the broader equities organization.
Contrarian Fund Maintains Its Existing Leadership
The Janus Henderson Contrarian Fund follows a different investment approach from the firm’s concentrated large-cap growth strategies.
The fund invests across market capitalizations and focuses on companies with durable business models whose shares are trading at what the investment team considers a significant discount to fair value.
The strategy also seeks businesses with long-term growth potential.
Su will continue as Portfolio Manager following Schommer’s departure, ensuring that the Contrarian Fund retains its existing portfolio management leadership.
The continuation of the strategy’s investment team structure allows the fund to maintain its established approach while other changes take place across Janus Henderson’s equities platform.
CEO Highlights Investment Expertise and Client Focus
Ali Dibadj, Chief Executive Officer at Janus Henderson, welcomed Jewell and Raina to the firm and highlighted their investment experience and focus on clients.
Dibadj described Jewell as an experienced financial and investment leader with a background in strengthening research capabilities, developing investment processes and building teams across global markets.
He also pointed to Raina’s large-cap equity expertise and the alignment between her investment philosophy and Janus Henderson’s fundamental investment approach.
The CEO also recognized the contributions of Klein and Schommer.
Klein was described as an important leader within the equities business whose influence helped strengthen the organization. Schommer was recognized for his investment expertise and contributions during his 13 years at the firm.
Strengthening EMEA and Asia Pacific Equities
Jewell’s appointment expands the leadership structure supporting Janus Henderson’s EMEA and Asia Pacific equity capabilities.
The platform includes investment teams with local market expertise combined with collaboration across regions.
Its strategies include Global Technology Leaders, Global Equity Income, Absolute Return, European Large Cap, Global Sustainable Equity and Global Small Cap.
These capabilities cover a range of investment styles, market segments and regional exposures.
By appointing a senior investment leader with experience across fundamental research and international equities, Janus Henderson is adding leadership capacity to a platform that spans multiple investment teams.
Global Fundamental Research Remains Central
The appointments also reinforce Janus Henderson’s emphasis on active, fundamental investment research.
Fundamental equity investing typically involves analyzing individual companies, their financial performance, competitive positions, management teams, market opportunities and long-term growth prospects.
The firm’s Forty and Transformational Growth strategies use different but complementary approaches within this broader framework.
The Forty Fund emphasizes concentrated large-cap growth opportunities, while the Transformational Growth ETF combines fundamental company analysis with thematic research.
The firm’s broader EMEA and Asia Pacific equities platform includes additional strategies spanning technology, income, sustainability, European large-cap equities and small-cap stocks.
Broader Global Investment Platform
Janus Henderson’s equities business forms part of a wider global investment platform that includes both liquid and illiquid investment strategies across equities and fixed income.
The firm uses fundamental research, global market insights and high-conviction investment processes across its investment capabilities.
The latest appointments add senior professionals with substantial experience in fundamental equity investing and investment leadership.
Jewell’s regional and global leadership background will support the EMEA and Asia Pacific platform, while Raina’s large-cap equity experience will be applied to two prominent U.S. equity strategies.
Preparing for the Next Phase
The appointments represent a period of transition for Janus Henderson’s global equities franchise.
The retirement of Klein and departure of Schommer mark changes in leadership, while the arrivals of Jewell and Raina bring additional experience into key investment roles.
The planned overlap between the incoming and outgoing professionals is intended to facilitate a smooth transition.
Jewell is scheduled to join on December 1, 2026, while Raina will join on January 1, 2027.
As these changes take effect, Janus Henderson will continue to operate its established equity strategies and investment processes while integrating the new leadership appointments.
The combination of experienced incoming investment professionals, continuing portfolio managers and established research capabilities provides the structure for the firm’s global equities platform to move into its next phase.
The appointments underscore Janus Henderson’s continued focus on fundamental research, active management, portfolio manager development and long-term client objectives across its global equity investment business.
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