Mahesh Cooper - Allan Gray

Mahesh Cooper

Mahesh is the chief operating officer. He rejoined Allan Gray as an executive director in May 2022, having served as a non-executive director since July 2020. He was previously employed at Allan Gray between 2003 and 2017, serving as an executive director from 2006 to 2017 and heading up the Institutional Clients team for over a decade. Mahesh holds a Bachelor of Business Science degree from the University of Cape Town and a Master of Business Administration from the Institute for Management Development. He is a qualified actuary.

Articles by Mahesh Cooper

Quarterly Commentary home page

2024 Q2 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer

By Mahesh Cooper on 08 Aug 2024

Reading time: 7 mins

Much has changed over this quarter. We have a government of national unity, and there is an air of cautious optimism prevailing. We are not the only country...

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2024 Q1 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer

By Mahesh Cooper on 02 May 2024

Reading time: 7 mins

It is hard to ignore the rand and its movements relative to global currencies. Its performance seems linked to our national psyche, and it is one lens throug...

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2023 Q4 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer

By Mahesh Cooper on 01 Feb 2024

Reading time: 8 mins

It is hard to believe that almost four years have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic and the first lockdown, which began in mid-March 2020. While time seemed...

Insights categories - Investment insights

Looking to the long term

By Mahesh Cooper on 16 Nov 2023

Reading time: 7 mins

Turning 50 is an incredible milestone for any business. Over the last five decades, South Africa has experienced immense political, economic and societal...

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2023 Q2 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer

By Mahesh Cooper on 31 Jul 2023

Reading time: 8 mins

Milestones naturally provide an opportunity for both reflection and prospection: It is always insightful looking back on lessons learnt, considering what is...

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2023 Q1 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer

By Mahesh Cooper on 04 May 2023

Reading time: 6 mins

This year marks 50 years since Allan Gray began offering investment management services in South Africa. The local unit trust industry was in its infancy, an...

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2022 Q4 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer

By Mahesh Cooper on 31 Jan 2023

Reading time: 7 mins

Instability hit the world with renewed force in 2022. All this uncertainty reminds me of Hyman Minsky’s quote: “Stability leads to instability. The more stab...

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2022 Q3 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer

By Mahesh Cooper on 27 Oct 2022

Reading time: 6 mins

The rising cost of living and doing business around the world as a result of escalating energy prices and interest rate hikes is creating unease. Investors a...

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2022 Q2 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer

By Mahesh Cooper on 28 Jul 2022

Reading time: 4 mins

There has been no respite from the extreme events the world has had to face in the last six months, be it war, or closer to home, devastating flooding, surgi...

Insights categories - Investment insights

How to select an investment manager

By Mahesh Cooper on 19 Oct 2016

Reading time: 3 mins

Focusing on past performance is often the first and only port of call for investors when trying to differentiate between investment managers. But there is no...

Insights categories - Investment insights

Asset allocation: Top down, or bottom up?

By Mahesh Cooper on 07 Dec 2015

Reading time: 4 mins

Within a multi-asset class balanced portfolio , there are different ways to manage the asset allocation. Some managers prefer to follow a ‘top-down’ strategy...

Insights categories - Offshore investing

Contrarian investing and different performance

By Mahesh Cooper on 30 Sep 2015

Reading time: 8 mins

The valuation-based approach to investing used by Allan Gray and our offshore partner Orbis is often contrarian since the shares that are most attractively...

Insights categories - Local investing

Stable Fund: Safeguarding our clients' capital is our core focus

By Mahesh Cooper and Fiona Jeffery on 31 Mar 2015

Reading time: 13 mins

When we launched the Allan Gray Stable Fund (the Fund) 15 years ago, we hoped that it would provide clients with returns that were competitive with bank...

Insights categories - ESG

Responsible Investing 2012

By Ian Liddle and Mahesh Cooper on 30 Sep 2012

Reading time: 26 mins

The Code for Responsible Investing in South Africa ('CRISA') was introduced in 2011 as an industry-wide initiative. Allan Gray supports CRISA's principles an...

Insights categories - Local investing

Foreign exposure in the Allan Gray Stable Fund

By Ian Liddle and Mahesh Cooper on 31 Dec 2010

Reading time: 10 mins

The long-term track record of the Allan Gray Stable Fund shows returns well ahead of its benchmark and satisfactory capital stability. Nevertheless, the Fund...

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