Investment Week reveals finalists for Investment Company of the Year Awards 2020

Investment Week is pleased to announce the finalists for the 22nd Investment Company of the Year Awards in association with the AIC, which have a proud history of rewarding excellence in closed-ended fund management.

The awards highlight outstanding managers in this important part of the market, who have delivered consistently strong performance for investors across a variety of sectors and the judges believe can continue to perform well in the future.

Winners will be announced during a virtual ceremony on 19 November. 

The shortlists for the awards, which you can view in the gallery above, are constructed using scores provided by the AIC, using Morningstar data. 

Investment companies need a three-year track record to 30 June 2020 to be included in the main award categories but may be shortlisted in the Best New Issue category (covering the 24-month period to 30 June 2020). 

Within each sector, companies have their cumulative fair NAV returns calculated over three discrete periods in sterling terms.

Returns over the 12 months to 30 June 2020 are given a 40% weighting, the 12 months to 30 June 2019 are given a 30% weighting, while the 12 months to 30 June 2017 accounts for 20% of the overall score.

The final 10% weight is given to the full cumulative NAV return over the three years to 30 June 2020. 

These scores are added to give a single score out of 100, the highest of which will be shortlisted for consideration within the various awards sectors. The shortlist for the Best New Issue category will be announced after the judging day. 

Shortlisted companies and their boards will be contacted by Investment Week and asked to submit a questionnaire, which will then be used in the qualitative judging stage.  

Judging panel 

Winners are then chosen by our judging panel after heated debate during our judging sessions, where qualitative factors will also be considered. 

The judging panel for the awards includes some of the UK's leading researchers and investors in investment companies. 

We are pleased to announce our judging panel for the awards this year includes: 

Katrina Lloyd, editor-in-chief of Investment Week

Genevra Banszky von Ambroz, fund manager and partner at Smith & Williamson Investment Management

James Carthew, head of investment companies at Marten & Co

Charlotte Cuthbertson, assistant fund manager at Premier Miton Investors

Simon Elliott, head of Investment Trust Research at Winterflood Securities

Sarah Godfrey, director - investment companies at Edison Group

Nick Greenwood, fund manager at Premier Miton Investors

Anthony Leatham, head of investment companies research at Peel Hunt LLP

Ewan Lovett-Turner, director, investment companies research at Numis Securities Limited

Simon Moore, director, head of research at Trust Research Ltd

Iain Scouller, managing director, Stifel

Rising Star of the Year Award 

Meanwhile, new categories for the Investment Company of the Year Awards in 2020 include the Rising Star of the Year Award and the Jackie Beard Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry. 

The Rising Star of the Year Award is an individual award aimed at highlighting the achievements of newer members of the industry and the skills they can bring to the sector. The award is open to nominees with a maximum of six years' experience in the investment company industry. Individuals can nominate themselves or be nominated by colleagues. 

Judges will consider professional progression and performance but will also take into account factors including: passion for the sector; excellence in their role; improvements to existing processes or products; engagement in industry-wide initiatives; and helping promote the investment company sector more widely. 

To make a nomination, contact [email protected] by October 9th providing the following information: name of nominee; company name; job role; number of years in the industry; and a short statement of no more than 200 words explaining why they should win this award this year. 

Jackie Beard Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry 

Nominated by the judging panel, this award will be presented in tribute to Jackie to an individual who has gone above and beyond their job role to make a significant contribution to the investment company sector during their career.  

The judges will consider areas including: a track record of exceptional performance or service to the industry; dedication and enthusiasm for promoting the investment company sector and increasing investor engagement; as well as creating opportunities for others to succeed in the industry through mentoring, volunteering or educational initiatives. 

Click here for more information about the Awards.