Catch up on Baillie Gifford’s latest investment trust news
New Monks manager and Scottish Mortgage's podcast
Moving to Monks
Helen Xiong has joined The Monks Investment Trust, working as deputy manager alongside Malcolm MacColl. The Trust, part of the Baillie Gifford stable since 1931, is managed by Spencer Adair.
Helen joined Baillie Gifford in 2008 and became a partner in 2020. She is an investor in the firm’s Global Alpha Strategy and has worked in the Developed Asia, UK, US Equity Growth and Emerging Markets Equity teams. She has a BSc in economics from the University of Warwick and a master’s in the same subject from the University of Cambridge.
You can read her article on the surging demand for computer chips here and learn more about the colourful history of Monks and other Baillie Gifford-managed trusts at bailliegifford.com/histories
Photography by Steven Cook
Truth to tell
This year’s chair of the judges for The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction is Isabel Hilton, the distinguished writer, broadcaster and China expert.
She has been joined for the many months of reading, whittling down and re-reading by:
- Heather Brooke, author and investigative journalist
- Alison Flood, comment and culture editor for New Scientist
- Peter Hoskin, culture editor of Prospect
- Tomiwa Owolade, writer and critic
- Chitra Ramaswamy, author and food and TV critic
Since April, the judges have been working through a mountain of books covering current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts.
Toby Mundy, the Prize’s executive director, said: “This diverse group of judges brings a breadth of perspectives and a depth of knowledge to the extraordinarily difficult – but I hope rewarding – process of selecting the very best non-fiction books of 2024.”
The longlist is already available at bailliegiffordprize.co.uk. The judges will announce their shortlist on 10 October and the winner on 19 November.
Earlier this year, Baillie Gifford ended its sponsorship of UK-wide book festivals after 20 years of fruitful partnerships.
China chair change
Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust has a new chair: Nicholas Pink.
Pink is an experienced senior manager in financial services and brings a wealth of knowledge, having fulfilled several non-executive roles on other investment trusts. He previously spent 22 years with UBS Investment Bank, based in London and Hong Kong, latterly as the bank’s head of Asia research and head of global research.
Disruptor discussions
His father’s experience heading a US textiles firm caused David Jones of The Brandtech Group to pen a note-to-self: “Don’t be a senior executive in a declining industry.” The lesson inspired Jones to quit a lucrative senior job in an old-school advertising company and start a business that modernised marketing for a data-driven digital age.
The inside story of how Jones seized the opportunities of the smartphone and AI revolutions is just one of those shared in Season 2 of Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust’s podcast, Invest in Progress.
You can also hear from the Trust’s managers, Tom Slater and Lawrence Burns, about what they look for in exceptional businesses. From capturing carbon in the air to hydrogen-powered flights and cancer vaccines, the founders and leaders of some of the world’s most exciting and disruptive firms – Climeworks, Joby Aviation, Moderna and many more – talk about their personal passions and inspirations. Watch out for Season 3 of Invest in Progress, coming early in 2025.
Important information
The views expressed in this article should not be considered as advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a particular investment. The article contains information and opinion on investments that does not constitute independent investment research, and is therefore not subject to the protections afforded to independent research.
Some of the views expressed are not necessarily those of Baillie Gifford. Investment markets and conditions can change rapidly, therefore the views expressed should not be taken as statements of fact nor should reliance be placed on them when making investment decisions.
Baillie Gifford & Co Limited is wholly owned by Baillie Gifford & Co. Both companies are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and are based at: Calton Square, 1 Greenside Row, Edinburgh EH1 3AN.
The investment trusts managed by Baillie Gifford & Co Limited are listed on the London Stock Exchange and are not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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