Investment Trusts Forum

A themed investment forum on the use of Investment Trusts for Family Offices. The Forum will be led by Baillie Gifford with presentations from their leading Investment Trust strategies followed by an interactive discussion on the Investment Trust structure is a great vehicle for the long term time horizons of Family Offices.

Agenda

1:30pm – Arrival and Registration
2:00pm – Introduction
2:05pm - Overview of Investment Trusts (James Budden)
2:20pm - SMIT Presentation
2:40pm – SAINTS Presentation
3:00pm - Coffee Break
3:20pm – Panel Discussion with wider audience Q&A on the use of Investment Trusts by Family Offices 
4:20pm – Closing remarks, drinks and networking
5:00pm – End

Company Information
Baillie Gifford is an independent investment partnership founded more than 100 years ago and based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The firm’s sole corporate endeavour is asset management, and its sole investment focus is identifying great companies that have the potential to grow considerably over the long term, delivering highly attractive investment returns. This requires patience and conviction, and a view that is differentiated from the market.
 
Baillie Gifford is also one of the UK’s largest providers of Investment Trusts – many of which are well-established investment vehicles which attract a wide variety of investors including individuals, wealth managers and Family Offices. 

Speaker Information

James Budden, Director of Marketing and Distribution
James has oversight of Brand and Product marketing across global markets working closely with sales and client facing colleagues in the UK, US, Europe, and Asia. He has lengthy experience of the UK Investment Trust sector and joined Baillie Gifford in 2008 having worked at Witan Investment Trust and Henderson Global Investors. James graduated MA in Classics from the University of Cambridge in 1989.
 
Chloé Darling-Stewart, Investment Specialist  
Chloé Darling-Stewart is an investment specialist at Baillie Gifford. She joined the firm in 2013 and became part of the Scottish Mortgage Team in 2025. In her role, Chloé helps translate the Scottish Mortgage portfolio into clear, compelling insights for shareholders. She works closely with the investment managers, regularly engages with portfolio companies, and leads in-depth, insightful conversations with shareholders. Before joining the Scottish Mortgage Team, Chloé worked across Baillie Gifford’s regional equity strategies and played a key role in cultivating client relationships in the Nordic and Iberian regions.
 
Tom Hodges, Investment Specialist
Tom is an investment specialist on Baillie Gifford’s Durable Growth Strategy, which covers a range of funds including the SAINTS Investment Trust. He works closely with the portfolio managers, attending stock discussions, portfolio meetings and meeting with companies. Tom joined Baillie Gifford in 2021 and initially worked with the European and International equity strategies. Prior to joining Baillie Gifford, Tom spent 5 years at Janus Henderson Investors. Tom graduated BA (Hons) in Politics from the University of Nottingham.

Alex Lightfoot
Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Bridgewick Partners

After spending his career between Geneva and London, Alex is super excited to build Bridgewick Partners back “home”. Prior to Bridgewick Partners, he spent his career at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. He was the first in his class globally to become a Team Lead and be promoted to Executive Director. After setting up and running a new business inside the Middle East team, he became part of the Management Committee for the Private Bank in the region and the “Senior Leaders” group for the Global Private Bank. Alex has worked with Hedge Fund Managers, Tech Founders, Royal Family Members and Merchant Families on all aspects of their personal balance sheets.