Small-cap veteran Giles Hargreave was named Investor of the Year at the Grant Thornton Quoted Company Awards 2012 last night.

The awards, which recognise the achievements of smaller quoted companies and entrepreneurs in the marketplace, acknowledged Hargreave as a ‘standout performer’ in a market that has been unforgiving for small-cap investors.

Hargreave heads the family firm Hargreave Hale, which operates over £400 million of funds under management.

He is lead manager of the £69.3 million Marlborough UK Micro-Cap Growth fund which the judges noted had notched up a positive return in each of the last one, three and five-year periods against difficult economic conditions.

The fund was launched in October 2004 with the aim to provide returns and income in excess of the FTSE Small-Cap Index.

The portfolio is invested in UK smaller companies that have a market capitalisation of £100 million or less, with a proportion of the fund invested in companies with a market cap below £50 million.

Hargreave founded Hargreave Investment Management in 1986, which was merged with Hargreave Hale & Co in 1988.

The eighth Quoted Company Awards, which took place at the Natural History Museum in London, was attended by more than 750 guests from the City.

This year’s awards were decided by a panel of 13 judges that included star fund manager Gervais Williams of MAM Funds, Andy Brough, co-manager of the Schroder UK Mid-Cap fund and Gareth Henderson, equity trader at Winterflood Securities.

For a full list of the 2012 winners, visit the Quoted Company Awards website.