Ewan Kirk

Ewan Mckinnon Kirk (born February 1961)[1] is a British technology entrepreneur, who is president of GAM Systematic Cantab, chair of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences and founder of Cantab Capital Partners, a quantitative investment management firm based in Cambridge.[2][3][4][5]

Ewan Kirk
Kirk in 2015
Born
Ewan Mckinnon Kirk

February 1961 (age 59)
Swindon, Wiltshire, England
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Glasgow
University of Cambridge
University of Southampton
OccupationInvestor and businessman
OrganizationChair of the Isaac Newton Institute
Founder of the Turner-Kirk Charitable Trust
Known forFounder of Cantab Capital Partners
Websitewww.cantabcapital.com

Kirk is the co-founder and Director of the Turner-Kirk Charitable Trust, which supports STEM, education and conservation causes in the UK and the developing world.[6]

Early life and education

Born in Swindon, Wiltshire, Kirk was raised in Scotland, where he was brought up in Glasgow and attended Greenfaulds High School in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire.[7]

Kirk studied for a BSc in Natural philosophy and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow before studying Part III of the Mathematical Tripos at the University of Cambridge.[8] He was promoted to a PhD in General relativity at the University of Southampton.[8]

Career

Whilst at university, Kirk founded DaLEK Software, which developed the Computer-aided design (CAD) package MicroDraft for Amstrad CPC and PCW computers.[6] After graduation from Southampton, he returned to Cambridge, as Director at Innovation for the science and technology consultancy Scientific Generics.[6]

Goldman Sachs

In 1992, Kirk joined Goldman Sachs, initially working in commodities before moving to currencies.[9] He was appointed a managing director in 1998, and became a Partner in 2000.[9] As a partner, Kirk was responsible for heading up the bank's European quantitative technologies group, which tested systematic investment strategies.[9] He oversaw a team of 120 mathematicians, scientists and statisticians.[10]

Cantab Capital Partners

In 2006, he founded Cantab Capital Partners, a science-driven quantitative investment firm in Cambridge.[11] .[12] The firm says its work resembles a "scientific research organisation" more than a financial firm.[12] Most of the members of the team hold advanced degrees in mathematics, physics, statistics or computer science.[13] The company has links with the University of Cambridge.[13]

In 2016, Cantab Capital Partners was acquired by GAM Investments, becoming part of GAM Systematic.[13] At the time of acquisition, Cantab Capital Partners had 56 employees and £4.5bn under management.[13] In February 2020, GAM Systematic won Eurohedge's 'Managed Futures – Under $500m' award for 2019.[14]

In 2020, Ewan Kirk was awarded HFM's Lifetime Achievement Award for his founding role in Cantab, contributions to quantitative investment and developing science-led approaches to finance.[15]

Philanthropy

In 2007, Ewan Kirk and his wife Dr. Patricia Turner founded the Turner-Kirk Charitable Trust,[16][17] which provides funds to STEM, education and conservation causes in the UK and developing world.[6]

Since founding, Kirk's charitable trust has disbursed more than £7 million in funding.[18] It is one of the largest private funders of fundamental mathematics research in the UK.[18]

Political activity

In 2016, Kirk was part of the official campaign making the pro-science case for remaining in the European Union during the UK’s referendum on EU membership and donated £10,000 to Scientists for EU.[19]

Kirk is a member of the Liberal Democrats Business and Entrepreneurs Network, which is ‘a network of senior business people’ that ‘provides the party with expert advice on business and economic policy’.[20] During the 2019 UK General Election, Kirk was one of 60 business leaders to sign an open letter endorsing the Liberal Democrats[21] and donated £300,000 to the party.[22]

Personal life

Kirk is married and lives in Cambridge.[23][24]

References
  1. "Ewan Mckinnon KIRK – Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". Companies House, Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  2. "Oxford business school to teach algorithmic trading". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  3. "Interview: Dr Ewan Kirk on research, philanthropy and the Kirk Distinguished Visiting Fellowships scheme | Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences". www.newton.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  4. gam.com. "Biography - Ewan Kirk". www.gam.com. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  5. "Cantab Quant Fund `Right' to Trust Computers: Ewan Kirk". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  6. "Ewan Kirk". THE MARQUE. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  7. Alden, William. "Forging Its Own Path, British Hedge Fund Finds Success". DealBook. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  8. "Meet the Team". Share title EN. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  9. "Silicon Fen's Hedge Fund". thehedgefundjournal.com. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  10. "I interviewed with 22 people to get a job at Goldman Sachs. But a computer could have done a better job". eFinancialCareers. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  11. "Hedge fund Cantab Capital snapped up by Swiss wealth firm GAM". London Evening Standard. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  12. "Company Overview Cantab Capital". Cantab Capital Partners.
  13. gam.com. "GAM announces acquisition of Cantab Capital Partners". gam.com. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  14. "AwardStage". eurohedgeawards.awardstage.com. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  15. "2020 Winners". Hedge Funds Review European Performance Awards. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  16. "The Kirk Global Challenge to fund undergraduate teams to develop inventive technology | Department of Engineering". www.eng.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  17. "Patricia Turner". THE MARQUE. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  18. "New competition for engineering students: the Kirk Global Challenge". The campaign for the University and Colleges of Cambridge. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  19. "Search - The Electoral Commission". search.electoralcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  20. "About LDBEN". Liberal Democrat Business & Entrepreneurs Network. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  21. "Dozens of business leaders back Lib Dems as party tries to outflank Tories". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  22. "View donation - The Electoral Commission". search.electoralcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  23. Gray, Brad (20 May 2020). "The top 25 richest men and women in and around Essex". essexlive. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  24. "Dr Ewan Kirk | Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences". www.newton.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
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