Their story is closely tied to two letters: C&A. It all began in 1841, when Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer opened a clothing store in Sneek, Netherlands.

What may sound like an ordinary clothing store was actually a pioneer in the apparel industry: C&A was one of the first companies to offer ready-to-wear clothing.

Zug is home of the holding

Clothes make the man, as Swiss poet and politician Gottfried Keller knew. In the case of C&A, they made the Brenninkmeijer family wealthy. Their members live in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In Switzerland, more precisely in Zug, is where the Cofra Holding is based. Today, Cofra includes businesses in private equity, asset management, real estate, retail, solar energy, and sustainable food.

Part of the holding is also Anthos Fund & Asset Management, which focuses on values-based investments with a fund-of-funds approach.

Their clients are families, foundations, and faith-based organizations

Until five years ago, Anthos was focused exclusively on the needs of the Brenninkmeijer family and their companies, such as the C&A pension fund.

Today, Anthos is legally separate from the Brenninkmeijer Family Office, with its own independent governance structures, management, and investment teams, and is open to external clients. «We seek collaboration with like-minded investors who, like us, believe in the power of a responsible approach,» says Jacco Maters, CEO of Anthos Fund & Asset Management, in an interview with finews.com in Zurich. This includes pension funds, foundations, family offices, and faith-based organizations.

Jacco Maters, CEO at Anthos Fund & Asset Management (Image: zvg)

Support in impact investing

A minimum investment of 10 to 20 million euro is of interest to Anthos, which also offers a so-called «Outsourced Chief Investment Officer» service (OCIO), particularly for foundations and family offices. With an OCIO, the client's Chief Investment Officer is not outsourced; instead, Anthos provides advice and implements the portfolio. «Many foundations have good staff but lack the right structures or knowledge, for example, about impact investing,» explains Maters.

Since 2023, Anthos has managed 300 million euros in assets for the Oranje Fonds, which advocates for an inclusive society in the Netherlands. This is part of the OCIO service. According to Sandra Jetten, Managing Director of the Oranje Fonds, the strategic approach was not the decisive factor: «Anthos focuses not only on generating returns but also on the social aspects of investments. That is very important to us.»

Talks with churches in Switzerland

In Switzerland, Anthos has already gained its first clients—though Maters is unfortunately unable to disclose any names. However, he explains that Anthos is currently in discussions with many Protestant churches in the country. «We would like to double our client base in Switzerland,» he says.

Anthos follows a values-based approach with a focus on fund-of-funds. «This allows us to achieve better long-term returns, as the difficult year 2022 for investors has shown,» says Maters.

Always looking for the best

Anthos employs around 70 people, more than half of whom are portfolio managers. They must have at least ten years of professional experience—and for a good reason: sustainable investments are challenging, especially when regular returns are expected. «We are constantly looking for the best managers,» says Maters. Many of the funds in which Anthos invests are closed to new customers. They don’t want to dilute the good performance. «We are already invested and can therefore offer our clients an advantage,» he says.

Collaboration with a Spanish sustainability specialist

Portocolom will also benefit from this in the future. The Spanish specialist for sustainable investments and Anthos Fund & Asset Management signed a strategic partnership in mid-June, which will provide clients with improved access to sustainable multi-asset investment portfolios while generating positive impact.

This means that Portocolom's client base will benefit from Anthos’ expertise. Both sides are convinced that a responsible, values-based investment approach can deliver both strong financial returns and positive social and environmental impacts, according to a press release.

What is the recipe for Anthos’ success? «That we do it better than others. Especially in the area of sustainability, this is important,» says Maters.