BlackRock Investment Management, Colonial First State Global Asset Management, PIMCO Australia, Schroder Investment Management Australia and Winton are in line to be named as the S&P Fund Manager of the Year for 2011.

The S&P Fund Awards are based on the research house’s assessment of each fund manager’s capabilities. The analysis does not focus on specific products; rather, it focuses on each manager’s “engine room”: the people and processes that drive the manager’s investment management capability. It is this capability that underlies every fund and every product offered by a manager – both institutional and retail.

Colonial First State GAM won top honours in 2010. Blackrock won the award in 2009.

The S&P Fund Awards are made up of 10 sector awards and two group awards – Product Distributor of the Year (for the distributors of third-party investment capabilities) as well as Fund Manager of the Year.

Product Distributor of the Year finalists are Challenger Managed Investments, Equity Trustees, Macquarie Professional Series, Pinnacle Investment Management and Zurich Investment Management.

Macquarie has won the award, for its Professional Series funds, the past two years running.

The sector awards cover Australian fixed interest, global fixed interest (including diversified), property, alternative equity strategies, alternative diversified strategies, large-cap Australian equities, small-cap Australian equities, global developed markets equities, global emerging markets equities and multi-sector (or balanced).

The S&P Fund Awards are presented in association with I&T News’ sister publication Professional Planner. The winners will be announced in Sydney on Friday.