Philosophy and values

We don’t speculate on short-term shifts in financial markets or try to out-guess macroeconomic forecasters. Instead, our investment teams engage in deep, bottom-up analysis of companies. We try to find those that are disrupting existing ways of doing things. And we look for those with a deep-seated competitive advantage so they aren’t dependent on external factors they can’t control. Whether investing for capital growth or a sustainable income, we determine our success by understanding individual companies and how they can execute on their opportunities.

We actively engage with the companies in our portfolios. We try to build constructive relationships with management and so contribute to good outcomes rather than just speculate on share prices at arm’s length. Although we seek to be long-term supportive shareholders, if we think the opportunity is waning or management is not behaving as we would like despite our efforts, we do not hesitate to sell and move on.

Our investment teams have much in common but don’t always agree with each other. Nor are they under pressure to do so. Baillie Gifford doesn’t have a ‘house view’ about what to buy or sell. While our managers draw on each other’s research, they reach their own conclusions about individual companies’ prospects and how to construct their portfolios.

The investment management industry has considerable influence because of the assets we allocate. We don’t treat that lightly. As a business, our primary goal is to generate investment returns for our clients, but we must not be irresponsible in how we do it. We seek to set an example by:

• charging fair, reasonable and transparent fees
• acting as responsible owners of companies on clients’ behalf
• focusing on how our deployment of capital can create useful economic growth that benefits everyone

We believe this approach is consistent with generating excellent long-term outcomes for our clients.

Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited is wholly owned by Baillie Gifford & Co. Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited provides investment management and advisory services to non-UK clients. Both are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The information provided does not constitute an offer of or solicitation for purchase or sale of securities or provision of any investment services. Any general enquiries regarding Baillie Gifford should be directed to the relevant individual as noted in the Contact Us section.

The information contained in this website has been compiled with considerable care to ensure its accuracy at the date of publication. However, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made to its accuracy or completeness. Nothing in this information or elsewhere in this website shall exclude, limit or restrict our duties and liabilities to you under the United Kingdom's Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 or any conduct of business rules which we are bound to comply with.

This website is informative only and the information provided should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a particular investment. Read our Legal and regulatory information for further details.