Ewan Kirk

Cambridge, UK

Chief Investment Officer

GAM Systematic | Cantab

Biography

Dr. Ewan Kirk is a technology entrepreneur, CIO of GAM Systematic Cantab, and Chairman of the Management Committee of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences. A seed investor in startups in Cambridge and London, he has also been active in philanthropy since 2007.

Ewan has been involved in a number of ventures to commercialise, apply and support science, technology and mathematics research.

He is best known for founding Cantab Capital Partners, a science-driven quantitative investment management firm that uses data analysis to research and implement systematic investment strategies. Between 2007 and 2016, Cantab grew from a team of two with £30m AUM to 60 people with over £4bn AUM and was consistently ranked as one of the top-performing quant funds. In 2016 it was acquired by GAM Investments.

A partner at Goldman Sachs between 1992 and 2005, Ewan was responsible for leading their 120-strong quantitative technology group. He previously served as Director of Innovation at Scientific Generics (now Sagentia), a consultancy providing scientific solutions to business problems, and founded DaLEK Software, which developed the Microdraft CAD software package.

Alongside his wife Dr. Patricia Turner, he founded the Turner-Kirk Charitable Trust, which supports STEM, education and conservation causes. It funds the Kirk Distinguished Fellowship Programme for female mathematicians and the Turner-Kirk Visiting Fellowship Programme to bring leading mathematicians to Cambridge.

In 2015, the couple provided a £5m gift to the University of Cambridge to establish the Cantab Capital Institute for the Mathematics of Information.

Ewan holds a PhD in General Relativity, MASt in Mathematics (Part III, Cambridge Mathematical Tripos), and a BSc in Natural Philosophy and Astronomy.

Ewan Kirk’s Newsfeed

Dr Ewan Kirk on research, philanthropy and the Kirk Distinguished Visiting Fellowship Scheme

Launched in January 2019, the Isaac Newton Institute now proudly hosts the Kirk Distinguished Visiting Fellowship Scheme... In the first of a series of interviews, we spoke to the philanthropist whose generous six-figure donation has made the project possible: Dr Ewan Kirk.

GAM Systematic | Cantab

Chief Investment Officer

Oct 2016 - Present

Cambridge, UK

Part of GAM Investments, GAM Systematic | Cantab manages a range of algorithm-led quantitative investment funds. Led by a team of physicists and mathematicians, the team uses data analysis to test and implement systematic investment strategies across a broad range of asset classes. Known for its academic excellence, it was formed in 2016 following the acquisition of Cantab Capital Partners.

Cantab Capital Partners

Founder and Chief Investment Officer

Feb 2006 - Present

Cambridge, UK

Founded in 2006, Cantab Capital is a science-driven quantitative investment firm. One of the top-performing quant funds between 2006-16, the company credits its success to its scientific rigour, using data analysis to research, test and implement systematic investment strategies. With strong ties to the University of Cambridge, the company conducts itself like a scientific research organisation.

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Partner | Head, Quantitative Strategies Group

1992 - 2005

London, UK

Goldman Sachs' Quantitative Strategies Group oversees all of the organisation's quantitative technology. Formed of a team of outstanding mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists and technologists, the Group uses advanced econometric and quantitative methods to structure, manage and monitor investment portfolios, researching multi-asset investment strategies.

Scientific Generics (now Sagentia)

Director of Innovation

1989 - 1992

Cambridge, UK

A Cambridge-based consultancy, Scientific Generics (now Sagentia) brings together a team of scientists, engineers and mathematicians to leverage their problem-solving skills to find solutions to difficult problems for its clients, leveraging cutting-edge technology and research to give their clients a competitive edge in the market.

DaLEK Software

Co-founder

1984 - 1989

Glasgow, UK

Founded in 1984, DaLEK developed two-dimensional Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) package MicroDraft for the Amstrad CPC6128 and PCW8256 microcomputer. The original MicroDraft code was rewritten and ported to the PC environment, firstly under MSDOS, then 16-bit Windows and finally 32-bit Windows environments.

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Other Business Interests

Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences

Chairman of the Management Committee

2017 - Present

Cambridge, UK

The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences is a national and international visitor research institute. It runs a wide range of mathematical research programmes attracting leading mathematical scientists from overseas and the UK. It builds on strengths that already exist in UK universities and aims to generate a new vitality through nurturing and stimulating research.

Philanthropy

Turner-Kirk Charitable Trust

Co-founder

2007 - Present

Cambridge, UK

The Turner-Kirk Charitable Trust supports STEM, education and conservation causes in the UK and developing world. Recent projects include the Turner-Kirk UAV Research Programme to use unmanned aircraft to monitor and protect remote environmental locations; the Turner-Kirk Fellowship for leading women mathematicians; and a programme to distribute solar lights to off-grid rural locations in Africa.