Montanaro European Smaller Companies Fund
The Fund aims to achieve capital growth in excess of the MSCI Europe Small Cap Index by investing in European and UK smaller quoted companies, with a particular focus on those with a market capitalisation below that of the largest company in the benchmark index.
The full investment objective and policy for the Fund is stated in the Fund’s prospectus.
The Fund is domiciled in Dublin and classified as Article 8 for the purpose of SFDR.
Why invest in European SmallCap?
We believe that every investment portfolio should have some exposure to SmallCap, primarily owing to:
- The ‘SmallCap Effect’ – the proven long-term outperformance of smaller companies versus their LargeCap peers*
- A wealth of choice, with more than 2,300 SmallCap companies in Europe
- Under-researched, making for an inefficient market ripe with opportunity for those who invest in thorough analysis
- Portfolio diversification - helping to lower portfolio risk
*Source: see research from Dimson & Marsh
How to invest
The Fund is available through various platforms:
- Aegon
- Allfunds
- AJ Bell
- Aviva
- Barclays
- Bestinvest
- FNZ Wealth
- Hargreaves Lansdown
- Interactive Investor
- MFEX
- Pershing Nexus
- SEB
- Transact
Alternatively, find out about the other ways of accessing the Fund.
Fund managers
Co-Fund Manager
Alex Magni
Professional
After completing his Ph. D in Engineering at Imperial College, Alex started his career at Cazenove & Co in 2000, where he joined the highly rated German Small & Midcap team as a generalist, covering a wide range of companies and industries.
In 2004, Alex helped to start an independent equity research boutique called Clear Capital, which focused on UK Small & Midcaps, and which made extensive use of primary data to gain insights into companies and industries. Alex began his coverage of the Business & Commercial Services sector while at Clear Capital.
In 2010, he joined the HSBC European Business & Commercial Services team, which became a consistent Top 5 Extel team, and ranked as high as No 2 in the 2014 Extel Survey.
Alex joined Montanaro in October 2015.
Qualifications
- M.Eng in Chemical Engineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (1996)
- Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (2000)
Personal
Alex has two young daughters and lives in London. When he is not helping with maths revision or coaching hockey from the sidelines on a Sunday morning, Alex enjoys taking a break from the London air by exploring the many National Trust sites dotted outside the city. Cliveden House and Polesden Lacy are a must!
Co-Fund Manager
Stefan Fischerfeier
Professional
Stefan joined Montanaro in 2007 and currently serves as both an Analyst and Fund Manager for the European Smaller Companies Fund, in addition to overseeing two of the firm’s segregated mandates.
Prior to joining Montanaro, Stefan spent more than six years at Accenture, where he worked as a management consultant for European banks and asset managers in Germany, Switzerland, France, and the UK. Following his consultancy role, he served as an analyst at Nordwind Capital, a Munich-based private equity company focusing on the automotive industry. Stefan also worked as an investment consultant for a property fund in Romania, assessing real estate investment opportunities in Eastern Europe.
Qualifications
- B.A. in Business Administration, University of Cooperative Education in Mannheim (1995)
- Diplom-Kaufmann (MBA equivalent), University of Mainz (1998)
- M.Sc in Finance, London Business School (2006)
- Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
- Bilingual in German and English
Personal
When Stefan moved to the UK, he fully embraced and enjoyed the dynamic lifestyle the city offers.
Travel is one of Stefan’s greatest passions. He has maintained strong relationships with colleagues around the world and has visited them in Australia, the USA, and Mexico. An enthusiastic skier since the age of seven, Stefan’s favourite destination is Val Thorens, known for its expansive terrain and excellent snow quality in the Alps. Though he was once a dedicated football player for a Munich club, Stefan now uses most of his free time to treasure moments with his family.
Commentary
KIDs (EU)
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- KID - EUR Accumulation (CH)
- KID - EUR Accumulation (ES)
- KID - EUR Accumulation (NO)
- KID - EUR Accumulation (DE)
- KID - EUR Accumulation (SE)
- KID - EUR Accumulation (NL)
- KID - EUR Accumulation (FR)
- KID - EUR Accumulation (IS)
- KID - EUR (EN)
- KID - EUR (CH)
- KID - EUR (ES)
- KID - EUR (NO)
- KID - EUR (SE)
- KID - EUR (IS)
- KID - EUR (DE)
- KID - EUR (FR)
- KID - EUR (NL)
- KID - EUR (IT)
- KID - EUR Institutional Accumulation (EN)
- KID - EUR Institutional Accumulation (CH)
- KID - EUR Institutional Accumulation (NL)
- KID - USD (EN)
- KID - USD (CH)
- KID - EUR Institutional Distribution (EN)
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- KID - EUR Institutional Distribution (NO)
- KID - EUR Institutional Distribution (IS)
- KID - EUR Institutional Distribution (DE)
- KID - EUR Institutional Distribution (NL)
- KID - EUR Institutional Distribution (FR)
- KID - GBP (EN)
- KID - GBP (CH)
- KID - GBP Institutional Distribution (EN)
- KID - GBP Institutional Distribution (CH)
- KID - SEK Accumulation (EN)
- KID - SEK Accumulation (NO)
- KID - SEK Accumulation (SE)
- KID - SEK Accumulation (CH)
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Professional
Henrik completed an MSc in finance and business administration after studying at the University of Linkoping in Sweden and in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
He started his professional career in 2000 at Merrill Lynch where he worked in equity research covering software and IT services companies. In 2001 he joined Lehman Brothers, where he spent 3 years as an Analyst, working on the European banks team.
As the lead Analyst on the Nordic banks he was writing company, sector and thematic reports. After that he spent 4 years at KBW and 3 years at Morgan Stanley, where he besides being the lead Analyst on Nordic banks also covered Emerging Market banks (Turkey and Russia) and wrote European banks strategy reports.
During his time as a bank Analyst he was voted the number one ranked Nordic banks Analyst in Europe. At Morgan Stanley the team also reached the number one position in Europe.
Henrik has responsibility for the Nordic region.
Qualifications
- M.Sc in Finance and Business Administration, University of Linkoping in Sweden and in St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Bilingual in Swedish and English
Personal
After growing up on the West coast of Sweden and living in Switzerland for a year and a half his biggest interests are boating and skiing. These days that boils down to a couple of weeks skiing per year and a little bit of boating in the summer. There is still that dream of spending a season in the Alps. Besides sports Henrik likes to travel. The perfect dream holiday would be to combine these two interest and go skiing in Alaska.
Professional
Harry joined Montanaro in 2018 after graduating from the University of Exeter with a degree in Geography in 2018.
He spent three months in Myanmar working for Aequitas Holdings as a Management Intern which consisted of on the ground research into new business ventures for Aequitas. Harry also interned at Velocity Trade where he gained experience of Sell side sales and trading.
Harry is part of the Business Development team at Montanaro covering Wealth Managers across the UK.
Qualifications
- BA (Hons) in Geography - University of Exeter (2018)
Personal
In his spare time Harry is an avid sportsman. He can be found regularly on the golf course, playing cricket for his local team in Kent, or watching Harlequins RFC at the stoop in Twickenham.
Professional
Dan is an Investment Sales Manager at Montanaro, responsible for clients within East Anglia, the Midlands, and the South-West. He joined Montanaro in 2022.
He started his career in the investment industry at Henderson Global Investors. Following this, Dan worked in the sales team at Jupiter Asset Management, covering East Anglia, the Midlands, and the South-West.
Qualifications
- BA (Hons) in History - University of Manchester (2013)
Personal
Dan grew up in Wolverhampton, where his childhood dream was to play for Wolverhampton Wanderers. While he didn't pursue that path, you can often find him watching football or playing sport of any kind, although he has a long way to go to improve his golf handicap.
Professional
Christian graduated from the University of Grenoble in 1981, where he studied Politics & Law. His research on Scottish politics took him to Scotland where, in 1986, he joined Martin Currie Investment Management as an Investment Manager covering Europe and Asia. In 1988 he joined British Linen Bank, part of the Bank of Scotland Group, where he was in charge of European investments.
In 1990, Christian joined Edinburgh Fund Managers ("EFM") where he was responsible for managing the European Unit Trust and marketing in Canada and the US. After eight years at EFM, in 1998 Christian joined Kempen Capital Management (UK) where he was involved in the marketing and management of their SRI funds and also with marketing in Europe and Canada.
Christian is trilingual in French, English and Spanish.
Christian joined Montanaro in July 2006 and became Head of Client Relationship Management in 2011.
Christian has responsibility for Scotland, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland.
Qualifications
- Politics & Law degree, University of Grenoble (1981)
- Fluent in French, English and Spanish
Personal
As a fund manager, Christian sometimes took contrarian views. This may be why he left the South of France to move to cold and wet Scotland. Christian speaks French and Spanish and on moving to Scotland, even took (and passed!) an O-Grade in Gaelic.
He likes French and Italian wines and is currently learning Italian so he can visit the various producers during his holidays. For some years now, Christian has imported his favourite wines and champagne into the UK and he is often asked to present them at tasting sessions. His other great interests are Scottish history, literature, cinema and running (when the Scottish weather is not too bad). He also spends some time serving the French community in Scotland as an elected councillor.
He plans to go to the Gaelic college in Skye to improve his Gaelic. He loves the West coast of Scotland, one of the most beautiful parts of the world, when it does not rain and there are no midges!
Professional
Chris graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a degree in Banking & Financial Management in 2013. Born and bred in Manchester, Chris quickly made the move to London to embark on a career in Asset Management, joining Neuberger Berman as Performance & Risk Analyst.
It didn’t take long for Chris to decide he wanted to work in distribution and in 2014 joined Goldman Sachs Asset Management to support both their wholesale and institutional sales teams within EMEA.
Keen to progress into a client facing role, Chris joined Columbia Threadneedle in 2015 as Business Development Manager, tasked with developing, growing and maintaining relationships with a panel of financial advisers, life co’s and key strategic partners across the U.K.
Chris joined Montanaro in 2018.
Qualifications
- BA (Hons) Banking & Financial Management, Sheffield Hallam University.
Personal
Away from work, Chris sits on the members committee at The Lansdowne Club in Mayfair and is constantly looking at ways to improve the experience for its members. Chris is an avid Manchester United fan (yes – one of the few actually from Manchester) and goes to watch the games as often as he can. Chris enjoys the odd game of 5-a-side but feels he is more attuned to playing golf these days. He is also a big horse racing fan with his favourite meet being the Ebor Festival at York.
Chris loves to travel but rarely plans ahead, choosing instead to book last-minute flights to random destinations. He would like to become fluent in French one day and spent the odd summer during university working at Disneyland Paris. Unfortunately we are yet to find a photo of him dressed as Mickey Mouse.
Professional
Ed is Chief of Staff and Head of Sustainable Investments. He joined Montanaro in 2014 and has led the ESG and impact investment approach, developing sustainable investment strategies, including the award-winning “Montanaro Better World Fund”. He played a key role in Montanaro achieving B Corporation certification in 2018. Ed is Chair of the Sustainability Committee and sits on Montanaro’s Executive Committee.
Ed was elected to the Board of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) in September 2023, representing over 300 financial services firms managing £19 trillion in assets. He also serves as an independent member of the Medical Research Foundation’s Investment Committee, supporting initiatives to advance medical research and improve human health.
He began his career in the City in 2007. Prior roles include time as a Portfolio Manager at Newton Investment Management and later at Standard Life.
Academic Qualifications
- Durham University: BA (Hons) in Theology (2:1)
- CFA Institute: Certificate in ESG Investing
- The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment Diploma
- University of Cambridge (CISL): Sustainable Finance Course
Personal
Away from work, Ed is kept busy looking after his young family. An avid reader, Ed likes to relax by working his way through an ever-growing reading list. He is interested in the development of new technologies, particularly AI, and in his spare time completed Stanford Professor Andrew Ng’s course "AI for Everyone". When he can, Ed likes to travel, a highlight being a trip across the Middle East to Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Israel. He also enjoys sport and getting out for long runs along the river in London.