Natural resources fund manager George Cheveley of Ninety One has won the Alpha Manager of the Year title at the 2026 FE fundinfo Alpha Manager Awards.
Now in its 11th year, the awards recognise the top 10% of fund managers based on long-term outperformance and risk-adjusted returns, across 12 categories.
Cheveley has more than three decades of industry experience. He manages the Ninety One Global Gold fund and co-manages the Ninety One Global Natural Resources fund with David Heyl and Paul Gooden.
Ninety One Global Gold made a total return of 165% in 2025, driven by the historic rally in the price of the yellow metal, while Ninety One Global Natural Resources was up 34.4%.
Performance of Ninety One Global Gold and Ninety One Global Natural Resources in 2025
Source: FE Analytics. Total return in sterling between 1 Jan and 31 Dec 2025.
Zachary Ryan, senior fund analyst at FE fundinfo, said: "George Cheveley's recognition as Alpha Manager of the Year is richly deserved.
"His long-term track record in natural resources is exceptional and his 2025 performance across both gold and broader natural resources strategies, delivering relative returns of 10% to 20% over 2025, shows the enduring value of rigorous, research-driven active management."
Mirabaud's Hywel Franklin was named Best New Alpha Manager "in acknowledgement of his specialist expertise" in European small- and mid-cap equities. Franklin co-manages the Mirabaud Discovery Europe and Mirabaud Discovery Europe ex-UK strategies with Trevor Fitzgerald.
Artemis's Philip Wolstencroft won two categories: European equities and UK equities. Raheel Altaf, also of Artemis, also took two category wins, in global developed equities and in Asia Pacific (ex-Japan) and global emerging markets equities.
Patrick Kelly and Ankur Crawford of Alger retained the US equities award for the second consecutive year.
Rob Gleeson, chief investment officer FE Investments, said: "This year's winners have demonstrated exceptional skill and conviction in navigating one of the more challenging market environments in recent years.
"Geopolitical tension, macroeconomic uncertainty and shifting rate dynamics have tested active managers across every asset class and those recognised today have risen to that challenge with consistency and discipline."
