Trustnet Magazine 83 April 2022 | Page 38

ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

The power of people

The value of shares in Scottish Mortgage , and any income from them , can fall as well as rise and investors may not get back the amount invested .
Access to entrepreneurs , visionary founders and academics powers the thinking of the managers of the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust as they seek to unearth exceptional growth companies . Their success is rooted in identifying and investing in the outliers of tomorrow – those companies capable of returning five , 10 , 15 or 20 times the initial investment over a five- to 10-year period . It ’ s a strategy that has made the trust one of the most successful of the past decade and catapulted its assets to more than £ 18bn , making it by far the largest investment trust in the UK . Much of that success is down to the team ’ s network of connections within business and academia , which it has forged and strengthened over many years . This has put it in a privileged position to spot these breakthrough companies before they get on the radar of other investors . One recent example is an investment trip to Berlin , when the managers spent five hours of face time , including dinner , with the founders of online fashion retailer Zalando . “ That is quite anomalous in terms of the level of access ,” said deputy manager Lawrence Burns . “ It ’ s not just quantity of time , but also the nature of that time . When you build relationships with people that are more like partnerships , you get more open conversations . They ’ re more willing to talk about ideas , ambitions , aspirations earlier .” The reputation that Scottish Mortgage has established as a supportive and steadfast shareholder over the long term – sticking with transformative growth companies through the good times and the bad – gives company directors trust and reassurance .
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