Press Release: GAM Investments Strengthens European Equities Platform with Appointment of Leading Investment Team

Zurich: 28 May 2025        

PRESS RELEASE

GAM Investments Strengthens European Equities Platform with Appointment of Leading Investment Team

Tom O’Hara, Jamie Ross and David Barker join GAM Investments to manage flagship GAM Star European Equity and Continental European Equity funds

GAM Investments is pleased to announce the appointment of a new European Equities team comprising Tom O’Hara, Jamie Ross and David Barker. As of 15 May 2025, the team has assumed investment management responsibilities for the GAM Star European Equity and GAM Star Continental European Equity funds.

This highly regarded investment team brings with them a style-agnostic, high-conviction investment approach that complements GAM’s longstanding heritage in European equities. The appointment marks a further milestone in GAM’s transformation and ongoing commitment to investment excellence.

Tom O’Hara, Investment Director, European Equities at GAM, commented: “It’s great to be joining GAM. This is a very exciting time in the company’s turnaround, supported by a long-term focused majority owner and a strong, investment-led culture that traces its roots to Gilbert de Botton. On a personal level, my investing career started thanks to John Bennett - who spent 17 years at GAM managing European Equities and always spoke highly of the firm’s investment ethos. So, it really feels like a natural fit for us to be here.”

“Our approach will remain consistent with our past. We are managing a concentrated, high-conviction portfolio of around 30 stocks, using our straightforward and repeatable ‘All-in’ framework, added David Barker. This combines expected earnings growth, cash return and valuation change to assess whether a company’s return potential exceeds that of the broader market.”

A core, consistent and transparent investment process

While the team brings a fresh perspective, they remain committed to delivering a core, flexible, style-agnostic strategy which builds on the legacies of both GAM and their own history as successful European equity investors. Their process is grounded in fundamental research and offers clear, data-driven insights for clients.

David Barker highlighted, “We want to be open-source. That means sharing our investment insights, process and return assumptions with clients transparently and consistently across all our communications.”

A turning point for Europe

The team also believes the macro backdrop is shifting decisively in Europe’s favour.

“For decades, cheap valuations alone weren’t enough to catalyse change in Europe. But that’s no longer the case. Geopolitical realignment sparked, in part, by the return of Donald Trump who has done more for EU unity than any post-war president,”said Jamie Ross. “We’re seeing a more assertive Europe: a looser fiscal stance in Germany, more coherent messaging from EU leaders, and growing momentum for innovation, investment, and regulatory simplification.”

“Europe has a generational opportunity to redefine itself that demands cohesive action across industrial policy, energy security and tech sovereignty. These shifts will create a new generation of winners across the region. We believe this marks a key turning point for the European equity market.”

Elmar Zumbuehl, Group CEO of GAM Investments, added “We are delighted to welcome Tom, Jamie and David to GAM. Their fresh approach, tight teamwork and use of advanced technology to focus on what really matters fully embraces the transformational changes underway in active investing. Their arrival significantly strengthens our specialist active equity offering and with investor interest returning to Europe, we see this as a powerful step forward for GAM’s specialist active equities platform and our clients.”

Investors are encouraged to contact their local GAM relationship manager to learn more about the strategies or meet the team through upcoming events, webinars and roadshows.

Editorial Information:

Video: Introduction to European Equities at GAM – Tom O’Hara, David Barker and Jamie Ross. https://www.gam.com/en/introducing-gam-investments-european-equities-team

Team Bios:

• Tom O’Hara, Investment Director, is responsible for the management of European Equity funds at GAM, alongside Jamie Ross and David Barker. Before joining GAM Investments in May 2025, he spent 7 years managing European equity funds at Janus Henderson Investors. Prior to this, he spent 8 years as a sell side equity research analyst covering the metals and mining sector. He began his career in the treasury of Northern Rock plc. He has 19 years of financial industry experience and received his BA degree (Hons) in economics from Newcastle University. He is passionate about the role of emerging technologies in shaping active investing and was an early investor in Quartr, a Swedish fintech platform, where he continues to serve as a non-executive adviser.
• David Barker, Investment Manager, is responsible for the management of European Equity funds at GAM. Before joining GAM Investments in May 2025, he was a Research Analyst on the European Equities Team at Janus Henderson Investors, a position he had held since 2021. Prior to this, he was Research Analyst specialising in Aerospace & Defence and Industrials at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he started in 2017. David graduated with a BA degree in History from Somerville College, University of Oxford and has 9 years of financial industry experience.
• Jamie Ross, Investment Manager, is responsible for the management of European Equity funds at GAM. Before joining GAM Investments in May 2025, he was a Portfolio Manager on the European Equities Team at Janus Henderson Investors, a position he had held since 2016. Prior to this, he was a portfolio manager on the UK Equities Team, where he co-managed a UK equities pooled fund. He started his career with Henderson in 2007. Jamie graduated with a BA degree (Hons) in economics from Durham University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and has 18 years of financial industry experience.
  
  

For further information please contact:

Colin Bennett | GAM Media Relations
T +44 (0) 20 73 938 544 
colin.bennett@gam.com

Visit us: www.gam.com
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About GAM

GAM Investments is a highly scalable global investment platform with strong global distribution capabilities focusing on three core areas, Specialist Active Investing, Alternative Investing and Wealth Management, that is listed in Switzerland. It delivers distinctive and differentiated investment solutions across its Investment and Wealth Management businesses. Its purpose is to protect and enhance clients’ financial future. It attracts and empowers brightest minds to provide investment leadership, innovation and a positive impact on society and the environment. Total assets under management were CHF 16.3 billion as of 31 December 2024. GAM Investments has global distribution with offices in 14 countries and is geographically diverse with clients in almost every continent. Headquartered in Zurich, GAM Investments was founded in 1983, and its registered office is at Hardstrasse 201 Zurich, 8037 Switzerland. For more information about GAM Investments, please visit www.gam.com.

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• GAM European Equity Team Photograph