Following a global search, the Conference Fund Manager Selection Committee is pleased to share the managers for 2024. This year's conference fund managers represent a diverse range of investment expertise, with specialists in tech, emerging markets, commodities and more.
Rikki Bannan
Executive Director & Portfolio Manager
IFM Investors (AUS)
Rikki Bannan is an Executive Director at IFM Investors, a global fund manager with over $215bn of funds under management. As a Portfolio Manager in IFM Investors’ Small Caps fund, Rikki is responsible for investment decisions across the consumer discretionary, health care and technology sectors, as well as being actively involved in fund raising and investor engagement for the Small Cap product.
Rikki is returning to Sohn Hearts & Minds for her second year - you can view her 2023 stock pitch on Telix Pharmaceuticals (TLX.AX) here.
Jeremy Bond
Founder and Chief Investment Officer
Terra Capital (AUS)
Jeremy founded Terra Capital in 2010 launching the long only Terra Capital Global Natural Resources Fund. The fund has delivered strong performance resulting in Terra Capital becoming one of Australia’s longest running open ended global resources fund. Jeremy formally worked at RAB Capital’s Special Situations Fund, a US $2.5B long/short strategy focused on mining and energy. The fund was rated the “Best Energy and Natural Resource Fund” by Hedge Fund Review and ranked No.1 in Barron’s Hedge Fund 50 Global rankings in 2007, during Jeremy’s tenure.
Jeremy is returning to Sohn Hearts & Minds for his second year - you can view his 2023 stock pitch on NexGen Energy (NXE.TO) here.
Sumit Gautam
Founder and Portfolio Manager
Scalar Gauge (USA)
Sumit Gautam founded Scalar Gauge in 2017 and has been the Portfolio Manager for the fund for over 7 years. Prior to Scalar, he was a Partner at Hirzel Capital, a ~$1.3B AUM long/short equity hedge fund based in Dallas, where he focused on investments in the technology sector for 4 years. He also has significant private equity investing experience, having worked as a Vice President at Audax Private Equity Fund, which is a $20B+ AUM PE fund based in Boston. Prior to Audax, he was a Senior Manager / Principal at Bain & Company’s private equity group. In his 4 years at Bain, he worked with some of the largest PE funds in primary due diligence for LBO targets.
Learn more with some recent media coverage:
- Scalar Gauge Fund founder Sumit Gautam cautious about over-hyped AI
- Sumit Gautam - Why AI won't deliver in 2025 | Scalar Gauge
Samir Mehta
Fund Manager
JO Hambro Capital Management (SG)
Samir is a new manager for HM1 and has over 34 years’ industry experience and joined JOHCM in May 2011. Prior to joining JOHCM, he was a Partner and Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at a firm specialising in Asian equities – Silver Metis Capital Management Pte Ltd. Samir was previously at Lloyd George Management where he worked as CIO. Prior to joining LGM, he worked at Peregrine Securities and ANZ Grindlays Bank for close to eight years as an Analyst specialising in India. Samir is a CFA Charterholder and holds a BCom from Bombay University.
Alex Pollak
Chief Investment Officer
Loftus Peak (AUS)
Alex is a new manager for HM1 with 25 years’ experience in disruptive business models gained during a career with Macquarie Bank, Alex heads one of the best-performing teams in global investment management in Australia. He has a deep understanding of the mechanisms through which disruption changes business models and the impact it has on company valuation, having identified and invested in AI in 2016 through Nvidia, among many other companies which have generated strong portfolio returns over the ten years the fund has operated.
Learn more with some recent media coverage:
Vihari Ross
Portfolio Manager
Antipodes Partners (AUS)
Vihari Ross is a new manager for HM1 with over two decades of experience in investment management working across large institutions and boutique investment managers. She is currently a Portfolio Manager with global coverage at Antipodes Partners, a specialist equities firm managing over $10 billion on behalf of Australian and international investors.
Prior to joining Antipodes, Vihari was a senior investment team member at Magellan Financial Group where she spent over 15 years. She was head of research, responsible for the management of the 30-person global research team prior to her departure, and during this time, she designed the Magellan Core Global strategy and was the Fund’s portfolio manager. Earlier in her career at Magellan, Vihari was sector head of franchises (consumer) and covered the financial and consumer sectors as an investment analyst.
Jordan Katz
Partner and Senior Investment Team Member
Advent Global Opportunities (USA)
Jordan, a new manager for HM1, is a Partner and Senior Investment Team Member of Advent Global Opportunities (AGO). Jordan joined AGO in 2015 at the inception of the fund and oversees AGO’s investments in a number of key sectors including aerospace and fintech.
Prior to Advent Global Opportunities, Jordan was a member of the investment team of Belfer Management, a single-family office based out of New York. From 2011-2013, Jordan was an Associate at Crestview Partners, a middle-market private equity firm.
Beeneet Kothari
Managing Partner & Principal Portfolio Manager
Tekne Capital Mgmt (USA)
Beeneet Kothari has previously served as a HM1 fund manager, most recently in 2021. He is the Managing Partner and Principal Portfolio Manager of Tekne Capital Management, a global fund manager he founded in 2012. Prior, he was a Managing Director at PointState Capital and Duquesne Capital, a global macro hedge fund founded by Stan Druckenmiller. Tekne Capital Management is a global Technology investment manager based in New York with a footprint across several global Emerging Markets. Tekne manages over USD$1 billion, and their investment focus is exclusively on tech-related businesses with a heavy tilt towards non-US/emerging markets in a concentrated portfolio with multi-year holding periods.
Their flagship fund remains highly focused on owning a concentrated and diversified group of the leading non-US technology companies globally, where growth remains robust while public market valuations remain depressed.
Chris Kourtis
Director & Portfolio Manager
Ellerston Capital (AUS)
Chris Kourtis is a very well-known “stock picker” and is returning to Sohn Hearts & Minds for his second appearance (you can watch his 2023 stock pitch on ResMed here). Responsible for leading Ellerston’s investment team, Chris has served as a Director and Portfolio Manager of Ellerston since 2005 and has over 39 years investment experience.
Prior to joining Ellerston, Chris co-founded the Melbourne based Investment Management firm Portfolio Partners in 1994, where he held various positions including Director and Senior Investment Manager and was formerly the Head of Equities until January 2003. It was from that point that he gave up his role to conceive and focus on managing the highly successful Elite Opportunities Concentrated Australian Shares Fund
Learn more with some recent media coverage:
- Chris Kourtis is on a winning streak. Here’s his next ASX pick
- Why Ellerston Capital’s Chris Kourtis plans to back a ‘hated’ stock
- Hall of Fame Special: How two of Australia's best invest
Ricky Sandler
Founder, CEO and CIO
Eminence Capital (USA)
Ricky founded Eminence Capital in 1999. Today, Eminence is a ~$7.8B global investment management organisation investing client capital across global financial markets. As CEO and CIO of Eminence, Ricky is responsible for setting the firm’s strategic direction as well as directly managing its 20+ person investment team and diversified investment portfolio.
Ricky has been very supportive of Hearts & Minds and is presenting for his third consecutive year. You can watch his 2023 stock pitch on Ashland (ASH.NYSE) here.
Learn more with some recent media coverage:
Fleur Wright
Portfolio Manager & Analyst
Northcape Capital (AUS)
Fleur is another new manager for HM1 and has over 25 years investment experience and is a Portfolio Manager and Analyst for the Global Equity strategy. Fleur joined Northcape in 2018. Before joining Northcape, Fleur was a Managing Director at UBS in Sydney.
Having joined UBS in London in 2004 as a European Special Situations Analyst she progressed to Pan European Equity Sales and Account Manager for a range of fundamental hedge funds and long only institutions before returning to Australia with UBS in 2011. Initially, Fleur established the business of European and US Equity Sales to investors based in Asia, then took over Global Sales to Australian based investors before eventually running the wider APAC Global Equity sales team.
Learn more with some recent media coverage:
- Northcape Capital’s Fleur Wright on why it’s still early days in the Gen AI boom
- Missed out on Nvidia and Ozempic? This fundie says it’s never too late
HM1 invests 35% of its portfolio in the highest conviction investment recommendations presented by local and global fund managers at the annual Sohn Hearts & Minds Conference. These conference picks are then held in the portfolio for the following twelve months.
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