With more than 30 years experience under her belt, Rosemary Banyard is no fledgling in the investment world. She developed her reputation as one of the leading UK female fund managers while at Schroders in the 1990s and has gone on to become lead manager on award-winning small and mid cap funds.She has worked at firms including Sanford DeLand, launching its Free Spirit Fund in 2016, and in 2020 she joined Downing to spearhead its Unique Opportunities Fund. Under her guidance, the former delivered an impressive 31 per cent return, marking its place in the top decile of the Investment Association’s IA UK All Companies sector.In this episode, our funds editor Dave Baxter and Banyard discuss the characteristics that she looks for in companies during periods of high rates, and the businesses benefiting from challenging times. She goes on to discuss the strengths of one of her largest holdings, Games Workshop (GAW), and shares her thoughts on companies changing their capital allocation to dividends._Listen to the first episode of the newest Investors' Chronicle podcast, Lee & the IC.Lee and the IC is a podcast from the minds of Investors' Chronicle associate editor Alex Newman and seasoned private investor Lord John Lee.Each month, the pair will meet to discuss various topics of interest to investors of all experience levels. Intertwined with conversations featuring topical issues and favourite holdings of the hour, listeners will be privy to investing wisdom gathered from Lord Lee's invaluable decades of experience as a 'do-it-yourself' investor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.