In 1974, stockbroker Charles Mawer founded the company originally as Mawer & Associates. It focused on looking after money for high-net-worth individuals and pension funds in the form of investment funds.[1][2]
In 2005, ten years after its founder retired from running it,[1] Mawer was selected by Manulife Investment Management to manage its investment funds in a subadvisory capacity.[2][3]
In November 2018, Mawer hired Bank of Nova Scotia to explore options such as a sale; this came at a time when other Canadian asset management firms were being acquired. However, in December, it decided to remain independent.[4][5]
With the philosophy of buying strong, growing companies at cheap prices, it has been noted for charging low management fees compared to its peers.[2] Due to lower commissions, financial advisers have avoided selling Mawer funds. The partnership between Mawer and Manulife have allowed more generous and less visible compensation structures for funds.[6]
