LIVES
Small village on the Essex/Suffolk border - Constable Country
FAMILY
Married with two sons
STARTED AT JM FINN
2007
HOBBIES AND PASTIMES
Rugby, skiing, paddle-boarding, golf (appallingly), music (preferably live)
FAVOURITE HOLIDAY
Anywhere on a mountain skiing with friends and family. Most unusual recent holiday was spending Christmas on an Arctic safari in Northern Sweden
FAVOURITE FILM
Chinatown – or almost anything with Jack Nicholson
IF YOU WEREN'T AN INVESTMENT MANAGER?
Ski Guide
FONDEST MEMORY
Many to choose from, but being at the front at Wembley Stadium for Live Aid when Queen performed
You’ve recently expanded your role to include being Head of the Bury St Edmunds office. How does having a presence in Bury St Edmunds enhance your client offering?
The Bury St Edmunds office is the largest regional branch outside of London and looks after more than 1500 clients. Having a local office to meet our clients, or for those that prefer to meet at their own home, is vital.
We have had an office in Bury St Edmunds for 17 years, building a very good reputation in the region, which has enabled us to become one of the largest discretionary investment management firms in East Anglia. This reputation has allowed us to build strong relationships with professional intermediaries across the region, including many independent financial advisers who value our expertise in investment management.
Looking ahead, we are keen to build on our position as East Anglia’s go to wealth manager. We also have a dedicated wealth planning team that can advise on many areas such as pensions, retirement or estate planning.
This year marks your 16th anniversary at JM Finn. What do you think it is that encourages people to stay at the firm for so long?
One of JM Finn’s key strengths is our truly bespoke service, driven by strong, long-term relationships built directly between our clients and their dedicated Investment Manager. We have the freedom to create individual investment strategies for our clients rather than being constrained by the use of off the shelf products. This flexibility to fully use our expertise and experience gives our highly qualified teams the ability to develop and enjoy their careers over the long term.
What are your thoughts for the year ahead from an investment perspective?
Although inflation has lasted longer than many anticipated, we appear to be close to a peak point, and increasing the likelihood of a decline in the coming months. This will hopefully see the pace of interest rate rises slow and then cease, at which point markets may take heart from the stability this will provide.
Our approach to invest in high quality companies that generate above average returns on capital, have strong free cash flows and robust balance sheets has served us well over the last 12 months. I feel confident that these quality businesses are well placed to lead us out of the challenging market conditions we have experienced over the last year or so.
