Alex Wright (pictured right), aged 32 – manager of Fidelity UK Opportunities
"A classic case of being brought up from within the ranks. Over the last three years Alex has developed his expertise as a small cap stock-picker and takes a contrarian approach, focusing on unloved and undervalued stocks where the market has been potentially overlooked for change and growth."
"He primarily invests in the bottom 10 per cent of UK equities by market cap. Already rated a Triple Crown by Financial Express, this is certainly a promising start to his fund management career."
According to Financial Express data, Wright’s fund has returned 89 per cent over the last three years, compared with 26 per cent from the average UK Smaller Companies fund.
Ben Lord (pictured below), aged 31 – co-manager of M&G Inflation Linked Corporate Bond and M&G European Inflation Linked Corporate Bond
"Ben has been mentored by arguably two of the best fixed interest heavyweights in the industry, Richard Woolnough and Jim Leaviss.""In the current economic environment, with inflation pressures all around, an inflation-protection solution may be the answer and Ben Lord could be the man for the job. Already entrusted to run money in excess of £340m, Ben is one to consider for the long-term."
Since its launch in September 2010, M&G Inflation Linked Corporate Bond has returned 4.9 per cent compared with 3.2 per cent from the sector average, Financial Express data shows.
Stuart Rhodes (pictured right), aged 30 – manager of M&G Global Dividend
"Another candidate from within the ranks, Stuart was appointed manager of the M&G Global Dividend fund when it was launched and it has already grown to a size of £925m."
"The fund focuses on dividend growth rather than dividend yield and Stuart has the flexibility to seek the best investment opportunities globally without being constrained by geographic boundaries."
Rhodes’ fund has outperformed the Global sector average over the last three years, returning 47 per cent. The average fund returned 22 per cent over the period.
Rob Burnett (pictured below) – manager of Neptune European Opportunities, Neptune European Max Alpha and Neptune European Income
"As an up and coming name in a rather unloved sector, Rob has already built up a strong track record and earned a Triple Crown from Financial Express and is AA rated by OBSR. He has also managed to beat the sector average every year since 2007.""Rob likes the top-down view and stock picks from preferred sectors. His contrarian view has proved effective and recently he repositioned the portfolio as he felt areas exposed to emerging growth will underperform."
According to data from Financial Express, Neptune European Max Alpha has returned 5 per cent in the last three years. This is nearly double the performance of the average Europe ex UK fund, which returned 2.8 per cent.
Jenna Barnard (pictured right), aged 30 – co-manager of Henderson Strategic Bond, Henderson Preference & Bond and Henderson Managed Distribution
"Mentored by John Pattullo, Jenna tries to think differently from the majority of fixed income investors by investing in a broader range of asset classes. This has been instrumental in the success of the [Henderson] Strategic Bond fund in particular."
Over the last three years Barnard’s Strategic Bond fund has outperformed its peers, returning 26 per cent. The average Strategic Bond fund has returned 20 per cent over the period.