Claire Dwyer, head of investment companies, Fidelity International
This year's winner of the Group of the Year category at the Investment Week Investment Company of the Year Awards was Fidelity International.
Here, Claire Dwyer, head of investment companies at Fidelity International, highlights key achievements for the group this year, deepening its commitment to shareholder engagement and areas of focus for 2026.
What have you done as a group to enhance shareholder value over the past 12 months?
Working with our boards, we enhanced shareholder value this year by taking strategic, forward-looking actions designed to strengthen scale, improve efficiency and deliver better long-term outcomes for our shareholders.
A key achievement was the creation of a larger, more resilient flagship European equity investment company through a successful combination with an externally managed trust with overwhelming support from both sets of shareholders.
By uniting two complementary vehicles, we delivered an investment company with greater scale and liquidity, a higher profile, an enhanced discount management policy and lower fees - clear benefits that support stronger long-term performance. This demonstrates how carefully executed corporate actions can reinforce the competitiveness and dynamism of the UK's capital markets.
Alongside this strategic milestone, we supported our boards in applying a rigorous, data-driven approach to discount management. Through disciplined market engagement and enhanced analytics, we achieved some of the tightest discounts in the sector.
This helped reduce share price volatility, improve liquidity and strengthen investor confidence - important outcomes not only for individual shareholders but also for the effective functioning of the UK's listed funds market.
Ultimately, our actions are grounded in a clear purpose: to create robust investment vehicles that help people build better financial futures. By improving scale, reducing costs and enhancing market resilience, we are ensuring that our investment companies continue to play a vital role in the UK's savings ecosystem and in connecting individuals to the long-term growth opportunities offered by public markets.
How have you demonstrated excellent shareholder engagement over the past year and contributed to the wider UK investment company industry?
This year we deepened our commitment to shareholder engagement and helped strengthen the overall health and visibility of the UK's capital markets.
Through the inaugural Fidelity Investment Company Retail Forum, which attracted more than 400 participants across physical and digital channels, we brought investors closer to the ideas, insights and innovations shaping their portfolios.
Our Annual Conference for non-executive directors further reinforced our leadership in shareholder advocacy, helping industry leaders navigate emerging trends and regulatory developments.
Across Fidelity Personal Investing's channels, from YouTube to Instagram, we delivered clear, accessible, high-quality content designed to inform and educate individuals, helping them build stronger financial futures.
The launch of Freya, our 24/7 AI conversational agent, reflects our ongoing commitment to innovation and accessibility. By giving investors instant, reliable support, we are redefining how digital engagement can enhance financial confidence and decision-making.
We also remained active contributors to the broader investment community, working closely with the Association of Investment Companies and supporting major retail-facing events such as the AIC Investment Company Showcase.
Our involvement in the nationwide Pension Attention campaign further underscores our purpose. Encouraging people to engage with their pensions is critical to the long-term financial wellbeing of the UK. By helping savers take proactive steps today, we are supporting a healthier retirement landscape tomorrow, an objective that aligns fully with our mission to improve financial outcomes for all.
What would you like to see now from the investment trust sector in 2026 and what will be your areas of focus?
In 2026, I want the listed investment companies sector to harness its full structural potential and position itself as a magnet for new pools of capital and the next generation of investors.
We should be leaning into the unique benefits of the investment trust structure, its durability, governance and flexibility, to provide investment products that simply don't exist elsewhere.
As we go into next year, our core focus will be elevating shareholder engagement from consultation to genuine co-creation. In 2026 we will be trialling entirely new participation models, which will help shape communication and proposition development priorities.
At Fidelity International, we will be championing bold product innovation and exploration of new markets, ensuring we meet emerging demand with imagination and consistent execution.
Most of all, I want investment companies to be a central force in revitalising the UK's capital markets, channelling capital to the places where growth is born and ensuring markets remain a powerful engine for renewal across the globe.
