Alexander Schindler, responsible for the international institutional business at Union Investment, Germany’s third-largest asset manager, concedes his firm isn’t as well known outside its home country as he would like. He is planning to change that.

The firm opened its first office in London at the start of 2015 and is planning to ramp up its publicity and market engagement. And a high-profile new UK client represents a good start - the £2.7 billion pension fund for the Environment Agency handed Union a £90 million mandate in August.