The company said on Wednesday its new Ucits-compliant vehicle will be run by former Pictet managers Chris Ford and Tim Day, with an investment strategy unconstrained by sector or geographic benchmarks.
The duo’s objective is to tap into the opportunities offered by the artificial intelligence (AI) investment space by focusing on a concentrated portfolio of companies that derive most, or all, of their revenues and growth from AI.
At launch, the fund will have exposure to sectors including financial services, industrials, consumer services, and health care as well as a core of technology companies.
The fund is the first launch for Ford and Day since they joined Smith & Williamson in 2015, having previously co-led Pictet Asset Management’s Global Equities business in London.
Fees and minimums
The institutional share classes of the fund – which have an annual management charge of 0.5% – will be available to all investors for an initial three month period, waiving the usual investment minimums for these classes during this period.
The launch follows news earlier this month of a new global inflation-linked bond fund from the group, as reported by International Adviser’s sister publication Portfolio Adviser.
Earlier in the month, Smith & Williamson also announced it had promoted 13 employees to partner levels, including five within its investment management arm.