After initially qualifying as a lawyer with one of the big City law firms in the mid ‘90s, James has spent the last 25 years as a fund manager in the hedge fund world. His primary focus was on global bond markets but he also has significant experience in equities, commodities and currencies. He has twice helped to establish and grow businesses and has been involved in a number of M&A situations, so has experienced both working in very small groups as well as being a Director at the large US private equity firm KKR.
Whilst it would be an overstatement to say that he had become disillusioned with the alternative investment industry, there were three things in particular which had become frustrating: the increasing difficulty of justifying the fee levels, the challenge of continuously outperforming in distorted markets and the lack of engagement with the fund’s investors, most of whom were typically large institutions. James therefore made the decision to reorientate his career towards financial planning and has recently completed his Diploma in Financial Advice with the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment.
Having grown up locally, James is delighted to be working back in Sussex. He lives just outside Lewes with his wife and two daughters. Coming from a farming background, he is a keen gardener as well as tennis player and is always thinking about where he might go on his next motorcycle trip.
