Overview
The Positive Change Fund aims to outperform (after deduction of costs) the MSCI ACWI Index, as stated in Sterling, by at least 2% per annum over rolling five-year periods. It also aims to contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive world through investing in companies whose products and/or services contribute to impact themes addressing critical social and/or environmental challenges, measured over at least a five-year period.
There is no guarantee that this performance objective will be achieved over any time period and actual investment returns may differ from this objective, particularly over shorter time periods.
The manager believes this is an appropriate performance target given the investment policy of the Fund and the approach taken by the manager when investing. In addition, the manager believes an appropriate performance comparison for this Fund is the Investment Association Global Sector.
Performance & Portfolio
Periodic performance
All figures to 30/04/2025 6 Months
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
Class B-Acc -2.9% 1.3% 1.0% 7.9% Index* -2.7% 5.3% 8.5% 12.3% Target Benchmark** -1.7% 7.4% 10.7% 14.6% Sector Average*** -4.1% 0.1% 4.8% 9.1% Figures for 3 and 5 years are shown as the annualised rate of return. This is the average yearly return over the specified period.
Annual discrete performance 31 March each year
Annual percentage return (Updated Quarterly) 31/03/2020
31/03/202131/03/2021
31/03/202231/03/2022
31/03/202331/03/2023
31/03/202431/03/2024
31/03/2025Class B-Acc 79.3% 2.1% -9.3% 7.0% -5.1% Index* 39.6% 12.9% -0.9% 21.2% 5.3% Target Benchmark** 42.4% 15.2% 1.1% 23.6% 7.5% Sector Average*** 40.6% 8.4% -2.7% 16.7% -0.3% Please bear in mind that past performance is not a guide to future returns. The value of your investment may go down as well as up, and you may not get back the amount you invested.
Source: FE, Revolution, MSCI. Total return net of charges, in sterling.
Share class returns calculated using 10am prices, while the Index is calculated close-to-close.
*MSCI ACWI.
**MSCI AC World Index (in sterling) plus at least 2% per annum over rolling five-year periods.
***IA Global Sector.
Top ten holdings 30/04/2025
Fund % 1 MercadoLibre 8.1% 2 TSMC 5.8% 3 Duolingo 5.7% 4 ASML 4.8% 5 HDFC Bank 4.5% 6 Microsoft 4.0% 7 Autodesk 3.8% 8 Shopify 3.8% 9 Grab 3.7% 10 Alnylam Pharmaceuticals 3.6% Total 47.7% Sector analysis of total assets 30/04/2025Fund %
- 1 Information Technology 22.61
- 2 Financials 17.34
- 3 Consumer Discretionary 16.62
- 4 Industrials 16.36
- 5 Health Care 14.26
- 6 Materials 6.63
- 7 Communication Services 5.56
- 8 Cash 0.63
- Total 100.00
Geographic analysis of total assets 30/04/2025Fund %
- 1 United States 45.63
- 2 Brazil 11.42
- 3 Singapore 6.97
- 4 Taiwan 5.75
- 5 Netherlands 4.75
- 6 India 4.51
- 7 Canada 4.26
- 8 Indonesia 3.54
- 9 UK 3.31
- 10 Denmark 3.24
- 11 France 2.70
- 12 Sweden 2.38
- 13 Others 0.89
- 14 Cash 0.63
- Total 100.00
As the Fund invests in overseas securities, changes in the rates of exchange may cause the value of your investment (and any income it may pay) to go down or up.
As well as cash in the bank, this balance includes unsettled cash flows arising from both shareholder flows and outstanding trades. Therefore, a negative balance may arise from timing differences between shareholder flows and security trading, and does not necessarily represent a bank overdraft.
The information contained on this page is intended as a guide only and should not be relied upon when making investment decisions. Source Baillie Gifford & Co.
Please note that totals may not sum due to rounding.
Insights
View all Insights.Key Decision Makers
Kate Fox
Kate is an investment manager and decision maker in the Positive Change Team. Kate joined Baillie Gifford in 2002 and became a partner of the firm in 2020. She is a CFA Charterholder and graduated MA in Economics and Maths from the University of Edinburgh in 2001.
Kate believes the financial community plays a crucial role in creating a more sustainable world for future generations. Kate’s experience analysing smaller companies has left her with a natural enthusiasm for businesses that address unmet needs or challenge the status quo, as well as an appreciation of their long-term potential.
Lee Qian
Lee is an investment manager and decision maker in the Positive Change Team. He joined Baillie Gifford in 2012 and has previously worked as an analyst on the Developed Asia, International Growth, Global Income Growth and International Alpha strategies. Lee is a CFA Charterholder and graduated BA (Hons) in Economics and Management from the University of Oxford in 2012.
Lee grew up in China during a period of incredible economic and social progress, when hundreds of millions of people were lifted out of poverty and the standard of living improved for the majority of the population. Witnessing that has influenced Lee deeply and he has been interested in development since.Apricot Wilson
Apricot is a senior impact analyst and decision maker in the Positive Change Team. She joined Baillie Gifford in 2023. Prior to working at Baillie Gifford, Apricot completed the graduate training programme at Aberdeen Asset Management, before working for Investing for Development SICAV, a Luxembourg-based blended fund focused on development finance. Apricot is a CFA Charterholder and graduated MBA from the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai. Her first degree was in Modern and Medieval Languages from the University of Cambridge.
Having worked in development, Apricot has been impressed by the power of financial markets to generate positive societal change. She has a particular interest in opportunities which support those living at the base of the economic pyramid.
Thaiha Nguyen
Thaiha is an investment manager and decision maker in the Positive Change Team. She joined Baillie Gifford in 2014 and moved full-time to Positive Change in 2021 after two years of working with the team as a portfolio advisor from our US Equities team. She is a CFA Charterholder and graduated BA (Hons) in Economics from the University of Cambridge in 2014.
Thaiha believes that we are entering the golden age of technological innovations and impact entrepreneurship. The combination of the two will be a powerful driver of a thriving, sustainable and inclusive world. In her view, investors could play a critical role to support ambitious entrepreneurs that leverage technologies to bring creative solutions to global challenges.Ed Whitten
Ed is an impact director and decision maker in the Positive Change Team. He joined Baillie Gifford in 2018. Prior to joining Baillie Gifford, Ed worked for three years in a consultancy advising investors, insurers and corporates on risk management and social impact in emerging and frontier markets. Ed started his career as an officer in the British Army, latterly working in a cross-government role on the UK government. Ed graduated BA (Hons) in History from Newcastle University in 2008 and MSc in Sustainable Development from London’s School of Oriental and African Studies in 2020.
Ed’s experience of working in and studying developing countries drives his desire to work towards a more sustainable future that leaves no one behind. Ed believes that thoughtful and responsible investment in companies achieving financial, social and environmental returns has enormous potential to catalyse positive change in the corporate landscape, build trust in capital markets and help support solutions to global challenges.
Fund Platforms
You can invest in a range of our funds via a number of fund platforms, please see the links opposite.
Baillie Gifford does not sponsor, maintain or have any control over the content of any other websites.
Therefore, we are not responsible for the adequacy or accuracy of any of the information you may view, nor do we undertake to ensure successful transmission to any linked website.
Fund Platforms
Professional Investor Enquiries
For further information on the funds, including availability and investment options, please contact our local distributor Volcom Capital.
Professional Investor Enquiries
Documents
You can access any literature about the Fund here, either by downloading or requesting a copy by post (where available).
To download any document you will need Adobe Reader. Please note that we can now provide you with Braille and audio transcriptions of our literature on request. It may take up to 10 days for the transcription to be completed dependent on the size of the document.
Application forms
Enhanced disclosure document
Factsheets
Impact report and positive conversations
Interim reports
Key investor information documents (KIIDs)
Other fund literature
Philosophy and process documents
Quarterly investor reports
Shareholders rights directive
Sustainability-related disclosures and climate reports
Value assessment
Implementation statement
Sustainability disclosure requirements (SDR)
Risks
General Investment Risk
Investment markets can go down as well as up and market conditions can change rapidly. The value of an investment in the Fund, and any income from it, can fall as well as rise and investors may not get back the amount invested.
Custody
Custody of assets involves a risk of loss if a custodian becomes insolvent or breaches duties of care.
Emerging Markets
The Fund invests in emerging markets where difficulties in dealing, settlement and custody could arise, resulting in a negative impact on the value of your investment.
Concentration
The Fund’s concentrated portfolio relative to similar funds may result in large movements in the share price in the short term.
Foreign Currency
The Fund has exposure to foreign currencies and changes in the rates of exchange will cause the value of any investment, and income from it, to fall as well as rise and you may not get back the amount invested.
Volatility
The Fund’s share price can be volatile due to movements in the prices of the underlying holdings and the basis on which the Fund is priced.
Dilution
A dilution adjustment may apply when you buy or sell shares in the Fund. This is applied to the share price and may reduce the return on your investment.
Fees from Revenue
Where possible, charges are taken from the Fund's revenue. Where there is insufficient revenue, the remainder will be taken from capital. This will reduce the capital value of your investment.
Tax Rates
Tax rates and the tax treatment of OEICs can change at any time.
Sustainable & Responsible Investment
The Fund invests in companies whose products or behaviour make a positive impact on society and/or the environment. This means the Fund will not invest in certain sectors and companies and the universe of investments available to the Fund will be more limited than other funds that do not apply such criteria. The Fund therefore may have different returns than a fund which has no such restrictions.Complaints
In the first instance, clients should contact their normal Client Contact with any concerns. Alternatively, or for those clients who do not have a direct client contact assigned, complaints can be emailed to Baillie Gifford’s Compliance Department at: InstitutionalComplaints@bailliegifford.com. A summary document which contains details on Baillie Gifford’s complaints management policy is available upon request. All material complaints are recorded in an in-house incident management system and are escalated to, and dealt with by, members of staff of suitable seniority, independent of the area from which the matter arose.
