Man Group’s Jonathan Golan has been crowned FE fundinfo Alpha Manager of the Year, after a year in which his £1.4bn Man Sterling Corporate Bond and Man Dynamic Income funds both achieved top-quartile gains in their respective sectors.
The former was the best performer in its IA Sterling Corporate Bond peer group, up 14.9%, extending its run of first-quartile returns to three consecutive calendar years. It is also the fifth-best performer so far in 2025.
Man Sterling Corporate Bond was launched in September 2021, so 2022 is the first full year of data. This means the fund has always been in the top 25% of its peer group since it was launched.
Man Dynamic Income – launched almost a year later – was the best fund in the IA Sterling Strategic Bond sector in 2023 and 2024, and is among the top three in 2025 to date as well.
This performance also helped Golan take home the Best Alpha Manager – Sterling Fixed Income award for the second year in a row.
Charles Younes, deputy chief investment officer at FE fundinfo, said: "Golan’s win reflects a long-standing track record of strong stock selection and market insight."
Despite Golan’s strong performance in both bond categories, Legal & General’s Colin Reedie and Matthew Rees won the Sterling Strategic Bond award.
The awards, now in their 10th year, recognise the top 10% of fund managers based on long-term outperformance and risk-adjusted returns.
Another repeat winner was Jack Barrat, who took home the award for Absolute Returns thanks to his work on Man Absolute Value, a year after collecting the UK award alongside Henry Dixon for his performance on the Man Undervalued Assets fund.
Source: FE fundinfo
The Best New Alpha Manager award went to BlueBay’s James Macdonald, who co-manages the BlueBay Financial Capital Bond and BlueBay Investment Grade Financials Plus Bond funds.
Artemis’ Ed Legget and Ambrose Faulks won the UK equities award, while Blue Whale’s Stephen Yiu took home the global equities award. He was recently inducted into the Alpha Manager Hall of Fame in the latest rebalance earlier in 2025.
Younes said: “This year’s winners have demonstrated outstanding resilience and skill during a period marked by ongoing market uncertainty and evolving macroeconomic challenges. From inflationary pressures to geopolitical volatility, active fund managers have had to remain disciplined, innovative and focused on delivering value to their clients.”
A full list of the nominees can be found here.