On Feb. 29, 2024, Columbia Threadneedle announced that manager John Emerson left the firm effective March 1. Emerson had been at the firm for roughly 20 years and joined as a comanager here in April 2021. That said, the strategy remains in adequate hands with lead manager Erika Maschmeyer, so the change—while abrupt and disappointing given the strategy’s personnel turnover in recent years—does not affect Columbia Acorn’s Average People rating or its Morningstar Medalist Rating of Neutral. Personnel turnover has been a problem here. After two managers left in early 2021, Columbia appointed Dan Cole as the lead manager, alongside Maschmeyer and Emerson. Then, in February 2023, Columbia abruptly took Cole off the strategy and Maschmeyer took the lead. Seven analysts left the strategy between 2018 and 2022 to boot. It seemed that the team was stabilizing since Maschmeyer took over, but Emerson’s departure casts some doubt on that view. Still, the remaining team is capable of running this approach. Maschmeyer, who has 23 years of industry experience, became a comanager here in 2019 after joining Columbia in 2016, and she relies on three dedicated analysts for support. Despite the analysts being relatively new to the firm, the group’s industry experience ranges from 16 to 25 years.