Mick Gilligan has now been selecting funds for Killik & Co for over 20 years, having joined the firm in 2001 as a fund analyst after previously working as an adviser.

The buy list has seen a reduction in open-ended, actively managed funds this year, with more closed-ended strategies coming into the fold.

He remains a listed champion however, saying he would like to see a greater adoption of investment trusts across the industry, citing a better, more flexible structure, particularly for illiquid assets.  

The most recent addition was the ClearBridge Global Infrastructure Income fund, while this year’s best performer has been Brevan Howard Macro.  

In order to encourage more diversity and inclusion at the firm, Killik has been using blind hiring in its recruitment process, removing any identifying factors from CVs.