Speakers & topics

Chairman

Iain Evans

Global Head of Distribution Polar Capital

Gavin Rochussen

CEO, Polar Capital

Gavin joined Polar Capital as CEO in July 2017, having previously been Group Chief Executive at JO Hambro Capital Management (JOHCM). He joined JOHCM from Fleming Family & Partners, relocating from South Africa to take that position. Prior to that, he was a founding partner of Anderson Rochussen Crisp, a professional services practice, leading the firm between 1984-1996.

A&AI

Xuesong Zhao

Fund Manager, A&AI

Xuesong joined Polar Capital in May 2012 and has 12 years’ investment experience. He is a lead manager of the Automation & Artificial Intelligence Fund and is a manager on the Technology Trust and Global Technology Fund. Prior to joining the firm, he spent four years as an investment analyst within the emerging markets and Asia team at Aviva Investors, where he was responsible for the technology, media and telecom sectors. Prior to that, he worked as a quantitative analyst and risk manager for the emerging market debt team at Pictet Asset Management.

Nick Williams

Investment Analyst, A&AI

Nick joined Polar Capital in June 2019 as an analyst on the Technology team. Prior to this, he worked at Neptune Investment Management as the Assistant Fund Manager on the US Opportunities Growth Fund. Prior to that he worked in academia at Oxford University.

EM Growth

Jorry Nøddekær

Fund manager, Emerging Market Stars

Jorry is manager of the Polar Capital Emerging Market Stars Fund. He joined Polar Capital in June 2018 from Nordea Investment. Prior to this, he was at Danske Capital, F&C Investment Management, New Star Asset Management and BankInvest Asset Management.

Healthcare

Gareth Powell

Co-head of Healthcare,
Healthcare Blue Chip

Gareth joined Polar Capital in 2007 to set up the Healthcare team. Prior to this, he worked at Framlington, where he began his career in investment management in 1999. Soon afterwards, he began working on the Framlington Health Fund and in 2004 became manager of the Framlington Biotech Fund which he managed from 2004 until his departure. Gareth studied biochemistry, during which time he worked at Yamanouchi, a leading Japanese pharmaceutical company (later to become Astellas). As well as this, Gareth worked for the Oxford Business School and various academic laboratories including the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology and the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research.

James Douglas

Fund Manager,
Healthcare Blue Chip

James joined Polar Capital in September 2015 and has 20 years’ industry experience. Prior to this, he worked in equity sales, specialising in global healthcare at Morgan Stanley, RBS and HSBC. James also has equity research experience from his time at UBS where he worked as an analyst in the European pharmaceutical and biotechnology team. Before moving across to the financial sector, he worked as a consultant for EvaluatePharma.

Dan Mahony

Co-head of Healthcare,
Healthcare Blue Chip

Daniel joined Polar Capital to set up the Healthcare team in 2007. Prior to this, he was head of the European healthcare research team at Morgan Stanley, covering the European biotechnology, medical technology and healthcare services sectors. Previously, he worked in New York for ING Barings Furman Selz following the US biotechnology sector. Before working in the investment field, Daniel worked as a research scientist for seven years with the majority of his time at Schering Plough Corporation in California.

Alternatives

David Keetley

Fund Manager, Global Convertible

David joined Polar Capital in October 2010 to establish the global convertible team and is co-manager of the Global Convertible and the Global Absolute Return funds. Previously he held a number of senior roles with Salomon Brothers International, in London and New York, BNP-Baii (as a convertible bond manager), Schroders, Citigroup, Zelengora, ORN Capital and Vicis Capital (as co-CEO).

EM Income

William Calvert

Fund Manager, Emerging Market Income

William joined Polar Capital in October 2010 to establish the emerging markets investment team. He has over 30 years’ experience in emerging markets. Prior to joining Polar Capital, he spent 13 years at AXA Framlington, where he was head of the emerging markets desk. He was also portfolio manager for their Emerging Markets Fund from 2004 until his departure. He joined AXA Framlington from LCF Edmond de Rothschild Securities where he was part of the country fund broking team.

Japan

Gerard Cawley

Fund Manager, Japan Value

Gerard joined Polar Capital in January 2005 and is manager of the Polar Capital Japan Value Fund. Prior to this, he spent five years working in Japanese equities at Schroder Investment Management.

Chris Smith

Fund Manager, Japan Value

Chris Smith is co-manager of the Japan Value fund. He joined Polar Capital in January 2012 as a Japanese equity analyst, prior to which he gained five years’ experience working in accountancy.

Global Insurance

Nick Martin

Fund Manager, Global Insurance

Nick joined Polar Capital in September 2010 and is manager of the Polar Capital Global Insurance Fund (previously the Hiscox Insurance Portfolio Fund). He participated in the management buyout of Hiscox Investment Management in 2007 when the business was renamed HIM Capital Ltd. He also worked for chartered accountants Mazars Neville Russell where he specialised in audit and consultancy work for insurance companies and brokers.

Financials

Nick Brind

Fund Manager, Income Opportunities

Nick joined Polar Capital in September 2010 following the acquisition of HIM Capital and is manager of the Income Opportunities Fund and co-manager of the Global Financials Trust. Prior to joining HIM Capital, he worked at New Star Asset Management where he managed the New Star Financial Opportunities Fund. Previously, he worked at Exeter Asset Management and Capel-Cure Myers.

John Yakas

Fund Manager, Financial Opportunities

John joined Polar Capital in September 2010 and is manager of the Asian Opportunities and Financial Opportunities funds and co-manager of the Global Financials Trust. He has 31 years’ experience in the financial services industry having previously worked for HSBC in Hong Kong and as the Head of Asian research at Fox-Pitt, Kelton in 1995, establishing their office in Hong Kong in 2000. In 2003 he joined Hiscox Investment Management which later became HIM Capital.

Europe

Nick Davis

Fund Manager, European ex-UK Income

Nick joined Polar Capital in September 2014 to set up the European income team, prior to which he managed the Threadneedle European and Pan European Equity Dividend funds and was deputy manager of the firm’s European Select Fund. Previously, he was a sell-side analyst at Sanford Bernstein and a chartered accountant with Deloitte.

US

Andrew Holliman

Fund Manager, North American

Andrew joined Polar Capital in August 2011 to establish the North American equities team. Prior to this, he spent seven years at Threadneedle where he managed their American Fund as well as a number of global funds. He began his investment career in 1997 as an analyst on the American and UK smaller-caps teams at Baillie Gifford before becoming manager of their American Fund.

Richard Wilson

Fund Manager, North American

Richard joined Polar Capital in August 2011 to establish the North American equities team. Prior to this, he spent nine years at Threadneedle where he managed institutional mandates on their North American equities team and led the global industrial sector research group. He began his investment career in 1999 as an analyst on the US equities team at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers.

UK

Georgina Hamilton

Fund Manager, UK Value Opportunities

Georgina joined Polar Capital in October 2016 to set up the UK Value team. Prior to this, she was with Miton Group where she managed the CF Miton UK Value Opportunities Fund and the Miton Undervalued Assets Fund. Previously, Georgina was a lead analyst for the Undervalued Assets Fund at Matterley Asset Management.

George Godber

Fund Manager, UK Value Opportunities

George joined Polar Capital in April 2017 to manage the Polar Capital UK Value Opportunities Fund with Georgina Hamilton. Prior to this, he managed the CF Miton UK Value Opportunities Fund and the Miton Undervalued Assets Fund. Previously, he co-founded Matterley Asset Management in 2008 and was co-manager of the group’s Undervalued Assets Fund. Before founding Matterley, he was a Director of Equity Sales at Credit Suisse

China

Jerry Wu

Fund Manager, China Stars

Jerry joined Polar Capital in June 2018 before which he was manager of the Nordea Chinese Equity Fund. Before Nordea, he was an equity analyst at Generation Investment Management specialising in China. He has also worked for BlackRock as a fundamental equity research analyst based in London and the US, specialising in the global consumer and technology sectors.

Technology

Ben Rogoff

Fund Manager, Technology Trust

Ben joined Polar Capital in May 2003. He is lead manager of the Technology Trust and a manager of the Global Technology and Automation & Artificial Intelligence funds. He has been a technology specialist for 23 years, starting his career in fund management at CMI as a global technology analyst before moving to Aberdeen Fund Managers in 1998 where he spent four years as a senior technology manager.