Technology
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The Polar Capital Global Technology Team

Polar Capital’s first portfolio was a technology investment trust managed by the company’s founders. Today, the technology team, headed by Nick Evans and Ben Rogoff, has grown to 10 – one of the largest, most experienced sector investment teams in Europe – running two specialist open-ended funds (Artificial Intelligence and Global Technology) alongside the Polar Capital Technology Trust.

Total AUM (as at 29.02.2024)

2001

Established

138

Combined years of experience

10

Team members

None

Nick Evans

Partner
None

Ben Rogoff

Partner
None

Xuesong Zhao, CFA

Partner
None

Fatima Iu, CFA

Fund Manager
None

Alastair Unwin, CFA

Fund Manager
None

Paul Johnson

Investment Analyst
None

Nick Williams

Investment Analyst
None

Patrick Stuff, CFA

Investment Analyst
None

Fred Holt

Investment Analyst
Lina Ghayor

Lina Ghayor

Investment Analyst

Nick Evans

Nick joined Polar Capital in September 2007. He was appointed lead fund manager of the Global Technology Fund on 1 January 2008, and is also a fund manager on the Polar Capital Technology Trust and the Polar Capital Artificial Intelligence Fund.

Nick was previously head of technology at AXA Framlington where he was lead fund manager of the AXA Framlington Global Technology Fund and the AWF Framlington Global Technology Fund between August 2001 and July 2007. Both funds were rated five stars by S&P and received several S&P and Lipper performance awards. Nick graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Economics from University of Hull.

  • BSc (Hons) in Economics, University of Hull
  • ASIP, Institute of Investment Management and Research
  • 26 years

Ben Rogoff

Ben joined Polar Capital in May 2003. He is lead manager of Polar Capital Technology Trust plc and is a Fund Manager of the Polar Capital Global Technology Fund and Polar Capital Artificial Intelligence Fund.

Prior to joining Polar Capital, Ben began his career in fund management at CMI, as a global technology analyst. He moved to Aberdeen Asset Managers in 1998 where he spent four years as a senior technology manager.

  • BA in Modern History, University of Oxford
  • 28 years

Xuesong Zhao, CFA

Xuesong joined Polar Capital in May 2012. He is a lead manager of the Polar Capital Artificial Intelligence Fund and is a Fund Manager on the Polar Capital Technology Trust and Polar Capital Global Technology Fund.

Prior to joining Polar Capital, he spent four years working as an investment analyst within the emerging markets & Asia team at Aviva Investors, where he was responsible for the technology, media and telecom sectors. Prior to that, he worked as a quantitative analyst and risk manager for the emerging market debt team at Pictet Asset Management. He started his career as a financial engineer at Algorithmics, now owned by IBM, in 2005.

  • BA in Economics, Peking UniversityMSc in Finance, Imperial College of Science & Technology
  • CFA Charterholder
  • 17 years

Fatima Iu, CFA

Fatima joined Polar Capital in April 2006. She is a fund manager on the Polar Capital Technology Fund, Polar Capital Technology Trust and Polar Capital Artificial Intelligence Fund. She is responsible for the coverage of European Technology, Global Security, Networking, Clean Energy and Medical Technology.

Prior to joining Polar, Fatima spent 18 months working at Citigroup Asset Management with a focus on consumer products and pharmaceuticals.

  • MSc in Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry, Imperial College of Science & Technology, London
  • CFA Charterholder
  • 19 years

Alastair Unwin, CFA

Alastair joined Polar Capital in June 2019 as a Fund Manager. Prior to joining Polar Capital, Alastair co-managed the Arbrook American Equities Fund. Between 2014 and 2018 he launched and then managed the Neptune Global Technology Fund and managed the Neptune US Opportunities Fund. Prior to Neptune, Alastair was a technology analyst at Herald Investment Management.

  • BA (1st Class Hons) in History, University of Cambridge
  • CFA Charterholder
  • 12 years

Paul Johnson

Paul joined Polar Capital in March 2012 as an investment analyst on the Polar Capital Technology team.

Prior to joining Polar Capital, Paul helped manage a private investment fund between 2010 and 2012. Paul is responsible for a number of thematic areas, including game software and automotive technologies. 

  • BA in History and Politics, Keele University;MA in History, Keele University
  • CFA Charterholder
  • 12 years

Nick Williams

Nick joined Polar Capital in June 2019 as an analyst on the Polar Capital Technology team. Prior to joining Polar Capital, Nick worked at Neptune Investment Management as the Assistant Fund Manager on the US Opportunities growth fund. Prior to that he worked in academia at the University of Oxford.

  • MChem in Chemistry, University of Oxford
  • Passed CFA Level 1
  • 8 years

Patrick Stuff, CFA

Patrick joined Polar Capital as an Operations Executive, where he provided operational support to all fund management teams at Polar, including the Technology team. During this time Patrick successfully achieved the CFA charter, and subsequently, after a successful 8 months seconded to the technology team, Patrick joined on a full-time basis in May 2021 as an investment analyst with a focus on small and mid-cap companies.

  • BSc in Economics, University of Warwick
  • CFA Charterholder
  • 3 years

Fred Holt

Fred joined Polar Capital in July 2023 as an Investment Analyst in the Technology team. Prior to joining Polar Capital, he worked at Janus Henderson investors as a Portfolio Analyst on the Global Technology Leaders and Sustainable Future Technologies strategies.

  • BSc in Geology, University of BristolMSc in Petroleum Geoscience, Imperial College London
  • Completed CFA Levels I and II
  • 3 years

Lina Ghayor

Lina joined Polar Capital in September 2023 as an Investment Analyst in the Technology team. Prior to joining Polar Capital, Lina worked at Exane BNP Paribas as an Equity Research Analyst.

  • MSc in Management – Finance & Law, ESSEC Business School
  • 6 years

Funds managed by the Global Technology Team

i

Artificial Intelligence Fund

Launch date06.10.2017
AUM
10Team size

Artificial Intelligence Fund

The Fund’s investment objective is to achieve long term capital appreciation by primarily investing in a diversified portfolio of global equity securities which may be listed or traded on a Regulated Market.
i

Global Technology Fund

Launch date19.10.2001
AUM
10Team size

Global Technology Fund

The Fund aims to achieve long-term capital appreciation through investing in a globally-diversified portfolio of technology companies.
i

Polar Capital Technology Trust plc

Launch date16.12.1996
AUM
10Team size

Polar Capital Technology Trust plc

The Company aims to maximise long-term capital growth through investing in a diversified portfolio of technology companies around the world.