FE fundinfo reveals 2021 Alpha Manager winners

Douglas Brodie from Baillie Gifford has been named as the Best Alpha Manager 2021, crowning a spectacular year for the fund management group.

Run by leading global fund data and technology group FE fundinfo, the Alpha Manager Awards recognise and celebrate the best fund managers from among those who have been able to consistently create risk-adjusted alpha.

Baillie Gifford picked up four of the thirteen awards on offer, with Douglas Brodie also winning in the ‘Best Alpha Manager – Global Developed Equities’ category, while Tom Slater won in both the ‘Best Alpha Manager – US Equities’ and ‘Best New Alpha Manager’ categories.

Charles Younes, Research Manager at FE fundinfo, said:

“Winning the Best Alpha Manager award is a phenomenal achievement. In what has been a highly challenging year for all active fund managers, Douglas’ performance has been simply exceptional. 2020 was clearly Baillie Gifford’s year and it was impossible to not recognise Douglas and the Global Discovery fund for its long and consistent track record in unveiling hidden gems and navigating the volatility seen in the global markets.”

Tanvi Kandlur, Senior Fund Analyst at FE fundinfo, added:

“Like Douglas Brodie, Tom Slater also enjoyed a phenomenal year with his Bailie Gifford American fund. This is the first year Tom was eligible for an Alpha Manager rating and we have been impressed by his ability in maintaining his position as the top performing fund in the IA North American sector and delivering an incredible return of 122% over 2020.”

Across the other categories there were wins for Alger Management (Amy Zhang – Best Alpha Manager – Small Cap); JP Morgan (Shrenick Shah – Best Alpha Manager – Absolute Returns); Nomura (Richard Hodges – Best Alpha Manager Sterling Strategic Bond); Invesco (Michael Matthews – Best Alpha Manager Sterling Fixed Income); Comgest (Chantana Ward, Makoto Egami and Richard Kaye – Best Alpha Manager Japanese Equities); Matthews Asia (Yu Zhang – Best Alpha Manager Asia Pacific Equities ex. Japan); Marlborough (Richard Hallett – Best Alpha Manager UK Equities); Allianz (Thorsten Winkelmann – Best Alpha Manager European Equities) and Aubrey Capital Management (Andrew Dalrymple – Best Alpha Manager Global Emerging Markets Equities).

Charles Younes said:

“Once again the 2021 Alpha Managers have demonstrated their value for investors and led the charge for good active fund management. Not only have they safeguarded assets during a period like no other in living memory – a global pandemic that triggered the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression – but also capitalised quickly on the opportunities in the global market recovery of the second half of 2020. We offer our warmest congratulations to them all.”

The winners of FE fundinfo’s Alpha Manager Awards are determined by narrowing down the total list of FE fundinfo Alpha-rated managers to a shortlist of the highest-scoring managers per category. Once the shortlist has been refined, FE fundinfo’s panel apply a qualitative analysis overlay to select the industry’s most visionary fund managers.

Since their inception, 2,195 Alpha Manager ratings have been given to 594 managers. In the 2021 awards 67 managers representing 37 fund groups were nominated across 13 categories. This year also saw a record number of female fund managers being recognised for their achievements in generating positive market returns.