Wellcome Trust Appoints Former Hedge Fund Manager

Former head of Perry Capital London office joins the global charitable powerhouse.

(June 4, 2013) — The Wellcome Trust has appointed Emma Davies, former London chief at hedge fund Perry Capital, as an investment manager.

Davies, who arrives fresh from her time as CIO at Big Society Capital, will have responsibility for part of the trust’s directly managed equity portfolio, as well as being involved with foreign exchange and derivative overlays.

Big Society Capital is an independent financial institution tasked with developing and shaping a sustainable social investment market in the UK, giving organisations tackling major social issues access to new sources of finance. It’s led by venture capital supremo Sir Ronald Cohen, founder chairman of The Portland Trust and Bridges Ventures.

Wellcome Trust’s CIO Danny Truell said her appointment reflected the charity’s drive to attract the best talent from diverse backgrounds, while Davies added she was looking forward to using her public and private markets experience to the benefit of the team.

The UK-based Wellcome Trust has been running for more than 25 years, and has a highly diversified financial investment portfolio valued at £14.5 billion at 30 September 2012. Since the portfolio’s inception in 1985, it has delivered a 3,133% return.

The trust spends around £650 million each year to achieve improvements in human and animal health, and expects to spend £3.5 billion over the next five years.

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