The Hall of Fame fund manager you've likely never heard of

Last week, a new industry legend was added to the Australian Fund Manager Hall of Fame... And I'd bet my left kidney that you haven't heard of him. 

Morry Waked was awarded the top gong on Thursday night, joining the likes of Airlie's Matt Williams, WaveStone Capital's Catherine Allfrey, Regal's Philip King, Ellerston Capital's Chris Kourtis, Magellan's Hamish Douglass, Fidelity's Paul Taylor and many more. 

Waked is the 22nd fund manager added to the Hall of Fame. The Australian Fund Manager Awards have been running since 1999. You can check out the past recipients below: 

Waked is the managing director and head of investments at Vinva, a systematic quantitative boutique with $23 billion in funds under management. 

Before starting Vinva, Waked spent over 12 years with Barclays Global Investors, where he would ascend up the ranks to become the firm's Global Chief Investment Officer (with responsibility for over US$250 billion in assets under management across US, European and Asian markets. Prior to this, he was the head of quantitative research at Rothschild Asset Management. 

Speaking to an audience of his peers (and this lowly writer and her colleagues), Waked admitted that while he does typically like to fly under the radar, he was honoured to receive the award. 

"To be part of that list is a real privilege and an honour," he said. 

"I know this is an individual award but certainly I've worked with a lot of smart people and there are a lot of people who have helped me along the way in my career. So really, when I look at this award, I think of them - more than I think about myself." 

The industry has changed significantly over his career, Waked added, recalling his early days at BGI as a lesson by fire in teaching investors the benefits of a quantitative or systematic approach. 

"It took three years of really hard work to win our first $80 million mandate, and I realised pretty quickly that people thought quant was this machine - this black box, this wiz-bang magic formula - and we learnt pretty quick that you had to articulate what you actually did," he said. 

"So we had to articulate to clients that really what we do is identify certain insights - things that we think drive markets, things that we think drive stock prices - not too dissimilar to what you would do as a fund manager. The only difference is how we implement those ideas... and we were fortunate enough to have a lot of success." 

Other winners from the night include: 

Best Funds Management Analyst: For the best-performing stock in the top 100 last year

Winner: Jason Lye, First Sentier - WiseTech (ASX: WTC)

Golden Calf: For the best up-and-coming fund manager

Winner: L1 Capital International

Runner-ups: First Sentier Ex-20 Australian Equities and Edgeworth Capital

Best Australian Small Companies Manager 

Winner: Hyperion Small Growth Companies

Runner-ups: Ophir Opportunities and Regal Australian Small Companies

Best Absolute Long/Short Return Australian Equities Manager 

Winner: Auscap Long Short Australian Equities Fund 

Runner-ups: Regal Resources Long Short and Perpetual Pure Value

Best Australian Based Global Equity Manager

Winner: Loftus Peak Global Disruption

Runner-ups: Lakehouse Global Growth and Hyperion Global Growth

Golden Bull Award: Best Large-Cap Aussie Equities Manager 

Winner: Perpetual Concentrated

Runner-ups: Northcape Capital Core and Hyperion Australian Growth Companies

Charitable focus 

The night didn't just focus on celebrating the funds management industry's finest, it also raised crucial funds for two important charities: Odyssey House NSW and Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation.  

Odyssey House NSW provides a diverse range of services to Australians with alcohol and drug addictions, who also live with chronic health, behavioural and psychological issues. The Australian Fund Manager Foundation supports Odyssey's Parents' and Children's program, which helps parents in recovery live with their children in purpose-built facilities. The program encourages children to realise their potential, helping to break the cycle of addiction. 

Meanwhile, the Australian Fund Manager Awards event also raised funds for the Sydney Children's Hospital Foundation - helping to support young patients. Funds raised go to the training of fellows, purchasing equipment, renovating and refurbishing wards and vital research projects.