It is just four days on from the declaration of June’s UK general election when I meet Polar Capital’s newest fund managers George Godber and Georgina Hamilton, and it is safe to say the duo are keeping their eyes on the ball.
Godber is just three months into his new role at Polar, having left the Miton Group to join Hamilton and launch the new UK Value Opportunities Fund, continuing their solid eight-year professional partnership.
With Hamilton tied by the proverbial chain to her desk watching out for movements in their database of 425 stocks, it is Godber who kicks off the interview explaining that the election result has left them looking for any opportunities to trade in the £255m fund.
It is often like this, Godber explains, with one half attending client meetings while the other gets down to what he calls the “grunt work” of wading through company reports, for example, and it is a partnership that has worked well so far.
“We know it works, we have a very intensive process. The level of detail we need to go into is high, so we think there’s a lot of benefit in having two people to do it,” he says.
They met way back in 2008 when Hamilton joined Godber on work experience, but she is by no means his mini-me.
“It would not be very effective for me to have someone who says ‘yes’ to everything I say, she’s the exact opposite of that. As a pair it does work well,” he adds.
Importantly it forces them face up to mistakes when human nature prompts individuals to hide away in embarrassment; the “power of the pair” helps them tackle problems head on.
When Hamilton finally joins us, she also emphasises the strong partnership; one that is not delineated by sectors, geographies or assets in order to avoid creating a ‘two-funds-in-one’ set up.
