Following today's announcement that Alan Rowsell, lead manager of the ASI Global Smaller Companies fund, will be leaving the firm, we have decided to suspend our A rating on the fund.

The fund will now be jointly managed by Kirsty Desson, who is the fund's existing co-manager, and industry veteran Harry Nimmo, who is co-manager of the ASI Global Mid Cap fund and lead manager on the ASI UK Smaller Companies fund. Mr Nimmo was also a co-manager (alongside Mr Rowsell) of the Global Smaller Companies fund at its launch. Given the level of continuity, our plan is to arrange a meeting with the co-managers in the near future to discuss the changes and long-term plans for the fund and team more generally. We will provide an update following this meeting.