ESG Masterclass

Tom has been editor of Professional Adviser and Multi-Asset Review since August 2019. He started his career at PA in 2016 and held a number of positions at Incisive Media before this latest promotion.

Julia is a passionate advocate of the need for the financial services community to play its part in addressing climate change and other ESG challenges - and was working to expand sustainable and responsible investment (SRI) long before it was fashionable.

Julia was instantly smitten with the concept when her then employer, NPI, launched the Global Care funds in 1991 – recognising both its financial and environmental benefits. In 1996 she moved to Friends Provident (who launched the UKs first ethical funds) where she ran their SRI proposition until 2008.

She has run her own business, SRI Services, since 2010. Their focus is the provision of free, adviser focused but ‘open to all’ fund information and support materials that help steer intermediaries through this market and make the necessary behavioural changes possible. Their popular whole of market ‘Fund EcoMarket’ website (and new App) enables users to match client preferences to fund options - and is supported by 16 fund partners.

She also helps others to build their sustainability propositions through consultancy, media, conferences, policy work and the new ‘Dialshifter’ initiative. Julia is also a director of not-for-profit UKSIF, having helped them create Good Money Week in 2009.

Stephen Freedman joined Pictet Asset Management in 2019 as Senior Product Specialist in the Thematic Equities team.

Before joining Pictet, Stephen was at UBS Wealth Management, where he most recently served as head of Sustainable Investing Solutions for the Americas, based in New York. Prior to that he served in various Investment Strategy roles, including head of Thematic Investing Strategy and head of Tactical Asset Allocation. He started his career with UBS in Zurich in 1998 as an economist and public policy analyst. Since 2018, he has been teaching environmental finance at New York University.

Stephen holds a PhD and a Master in Economics from the University of St. Gallen. He is a CFA charterholder and earned the FRM designation from the Global Association of Risk Professionals.

Toby joined Baillie Gifford in 2006 and is Co-Head of the Global Income Growth Team and Joint Manager of The Scottish American Investment Company PLC (SAINTS). He has also been a member of the International Alpha Portfolio Construction Group since 2018. Since joining Baillie Gifford, Toby has also spent time as an Investment Analyst in the UK Equity Team and as a Global Sector Specialist. He graduated MA in English Literature from the University of Cambridge in 2006 and is a CFA Charterholder.

Julie-Ann Ashcroft moved to Aberdeen Standard Capital following the acquisition of the Newton private client business in 2013 and became Head of Investments in April 2017. She manages private client portfolios and is the lead manager of the Balanced Bridge and Income funds and Charity Income Strategies as well as leading on Responsible Investment proposition. Julie-Ann joined Newton in 2007 as a portfolio manager from Mellon Global Investment where she worked as a performance analyst. Julie-Ann is a CFA Charterholder and a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments. She completed four years of PhD research at Imperial College, London after graduating from Sheffield University.

Peter began his career at Holden Meehan, an independent wealth manager, in 1989. He joined Forsyth Partners in 1994 as a senior mutual fund analyst and was appointed Chief Investment Officer in 2000. He was responsible for the management of traditional and alternative multi asset funds, with assets at their peak in excess of £1.5 billion. He was co-founder of the original Forsyth-OBSR Ratings Service in 2002. He joined OBSR in 2008 and was responsible for establishing the firm’s fund advisory business as well as continuing to conduct manager research. As Investment Director, he worked closely with Head of Investment Consultancy, Gill Hutchison, and they were responsible for the delivery of services to an array of different clients and were important influencers of fund flows in the UK. The Adviser Centre was launched in May 2014 whilst Peter was employed by City Financial. He transferred to Embark in October 2016, following the group’s acquisition of The Adviser Centre.

Claire joined Schroders in 2016 as a Trade Specialist in Portfolio Operations. She moved into Product in ESG in 2019. Claire has previously worked as a Research Analyst on the Deloitte Global Powers of Retailing Report.

Qualifications: CFA Investment Management Diploma (ESG); Passed Level 1 of the CFA Program; Investment Management Certificate; Investment Operations Certificate; BSc (hons) Economics, University of Kent.

Malcolm McPartlin is an investment manager in the Equity team, with responsibility for co-managing our Global Sustainable Equity and UK Equity Absolute Return strategies. His sector research has a particular focus on disruptive companies in tech and media and he also feeds into our UK strategy and global asset allocation decisions with the CIO. Malcolm joined us in 2003 from Scottish Equitable where he was an assistant business analyst. He studied Financial Services at Napier University, and has 18 years’ industry experience

Keith Balmer is a Director and Product Specialist within the Multi-Asset Investment team. He joined the company in 2016. Previously he was a Director at BlackRock within their multi-asset division and Man Group working with AHL the systematic managed futures manager. Keith graduated from Exeter University with a BSc (Hons.) in Mathematics with European Studies.

Clive is a director of NextWealth. He held a variety of management positions in sales and marketing for some twenty-five years with Scottish Amicable and Zurich. He became managing partner of the Training Design Studio in 1999, writing and delivering training programmes on taxation, pensions and investment. At the same time, he set up the specialised research-based consultancy, CWC Research. Clive chairs The Investment Network and the Schroders UK Platform Awards.

Clive has an MBA from Wolsey Hall, Oxford and is an Associate of the Personal Finance Society.