JPMorgan Japanese (JFJ) seeks to tap into the long-term story of Japan’s structural economic transformation by investing in high-quality innovative companies in sectors such as robotics, materials, healthcare, e-commerce and business services, as well as companies transitioning to more capital efficient business models. JFJ, one of the largest and oldest closed-end funds focused on Japanese equities, is managed locally and supported by a team of over 25 specialist investment professionals in Tokyo. JFJ is managed with an unconstrained investment approach to deliver a high conviction, high-quality and growth-focused portfolio, investing in companies of all sizes.

Emily Whiting, managing director, is a Investment Specialist within the Emerging Markets and Asia Pacific (EMAP) Equities team, based in London. An employee since 2005, Emily previously worked in the London Request for Proposal Group, specialising in Far East and Emerging Markets equity products.  Emily obtained a B.Sc in Money, Banking and Finance from the University of Birmingham

Smithson Equity Fund is a global equity fund focused on investing in high-quality small and mid-sized companies. Smithson seeks to deliver long-term capital growth by applying a disciplined, bottom-up investment approach, targeting businesses with enduring competitive advantages, high returns on capital, strong cash flow and the ability to reinvest capital to generate sustainable growth. Smithson adopts a long-term, concentrated portfolio strategy to compound shareholder value over time.

www.fundsmith.co.uk/sef

Simon Barnard, Portfolio, Smithson Equity Fund

Simon Barnard joined Fundsmith LLP in September 2017. He started his career at Goldman Sachs Asset Management in 2003 as a research analyst on the technology and industrial sectors. He moved to the consumer sector in 2008 and became the Global Lead Portfolio Manager for the consumer discretionary sector in 2012. In 2014 he was named Portfolio Manager of the "Global Income Builder Fund", a multi-asset strategy. Upon its launch in 2016 he became Portfolio Manager of the "Global Millennials Fund", a concentrated global equity growth fund. Simon has a First Class degree in Economics from Cambridge University and is a CFA charter holder.