Our experienced and highly-motivated team of investment professionals combines boutique agility with heavyweight credibility. We put first class service and a willingness to go the extra mile at the heart of our offering. We regard your success as our success.
Rahul Vats
Rahul has 11 years of private equity investment management experience. Previously Vice President at M3 Capital Partners (M3CP), he was involved with M3CP’s global capital raising initiatives, successfully raising £1.6bn. As part of M3CP’s principal investment business, Rahul underwrote and executed transactions totalling £300m. He is also a member of the senior management team responsible for managing the fund’s portfolio companies working on executing capital restructurings, evaluating operations, and underwriting further investments.
Rahul holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from the City University of New York and a Master’s Degree in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics.
Rahul Vats, rahul.v@oak-fort.com
Ronan Kearney
Ronan has built a significant and distinguished career in Retail Financial Services and Asset Management since 1994.
He has wide asset allocation experience. He was a founding Director of the Caerus Capital Group and sat on the Investment Committee of Verbatim Asset Management for 10 years. In 2011, Ronan established Indexx Markets (an independent index design firm) which he successfully sold to AJ Bell Ltd in 2015.
An MBA graduate of London Business School, he also holds fund management qualifications.
As a fund manager, Ronan achieved a Defaqto 5-star rating.
Ronan Kearney, +44 7941 140629
ronan.k@oak-fort.com
Steve Milne
Steve has more than 20 years’ experience as a city lawyer, specialising in commercial contracts and advising a wide range of businesses, from entrepreneurs to multi-nationals.
Steve became a partner at the age of 30 and founded the commercial, media and technology team at Memery Crystal LLP. Steve has been involved with a number of financial services businesses, ranging from a financial advisor network to individual advisory firms and an index design operation.
Steve is responsible for all legal and compliance aspects of the Group.
John Reynolds
John is a senior Investment Professional with more than 35 years’ investment experience including as CIO at Capita, MD at RBS/ABN Investment Banking and top rated (Extel) Global Investment Strategist at NatWest Markets & ING Barings. He specialises in asset allocation and market strategy.
Christopher Finch
Prior to forming TRI Investments Limited in 2004, Christopher spent 22 years in the financial services business. The first 10 years was spent working for two national Independent Financial Advisors (IFA’s) specialising in advising clients on investment products as well as corporate pension schemes.
Following that Christopher worked for two global investment management companies focusing on developing new investment products and services for the retail and institutional markets. He is an Associate Member of the Personal Finance Society.
Brian Primrose
Brian has 40 years’ experience in financial services with a career spanning, Canada Life, SG Warburg/Mercury Asset Management, Schroder Investment Management, Banque Generale du Luxembourg and Capita Financial Managers. He is a Member of the Institute of Directors and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.
Gill Hutchinson
Gill began her career in 1992 at Credit Suisse Private Banking, specialising in fixed income and the management of portfolios of funds. She joined OBSR in 2002 in a senior fund research capacity. She was Head of investment Consultancy at Morningstar OBSR. Gill cofounded The Adviser Centre in 2014 and is Research Director at the Embark Group.
Geoff Brooks
A business leader with more than 30 years’ strategic and leadership experience in roles including: HSBC Global Head of Wealth; CEO Offshore Europe, SVP Wealth USA; Sales Director Friends Provident; and Standard Life.
James Taylor
James has extensive experience in institutional financial services whilst worked for Barclays, Standard Chartered and Linear Investments. He operated across most asset classes, specialising in structured products, fixed income and funds. James also has considerable experience with Inter-Dealer-Brokers ICAP and Tradition within Capital Markets divisions dealing with Tier One Banking and Asset Management clients.
He focuses on developing and implementing vertically integrated investment propositions. Key responsibilities include merger and acquisition of advisory and investment entities to create a company managing over £2bn in AUM.
James Taylor, +44 7958 432387
james.t@oak-fort.com
Andrew Thompson
An experienced business builder, Andrew has more than 30 years’ experience in distribution and proposition construction including as Business Partner Head of UK Retail at Sarasin and Head of Strategic Clients and Head of Wholesale at Morley.
Asim Javed
Asim joined Alpha Beta Partners on its inception and has spearheaded the design, construction, and deployment of investment process within an investment risk framework. Prior to Alpha Beta Partners, Asim was Director – Investment Risk and a Senior Manager at Host Capital where he developed its investment risk measurement solution. Asim has a diversified skill set with experience ranging from fund accounting to investment management.
Asim is a CFA Charter holder and a qualified accountant with over 10 years of experience within the financial services sector.
Melanie Kennard
Melanie has over twenty years’ experience within the financial services industry, having previously held posts at City Financial Managers Ltd and Miton Group plc, and is IMC qualified.
She co-founded Coram Asset Management in 2014 which was subsequently acquired by MitonOptimal International and then Alpha Beta Partners in 2020 and acts as COO of the business. Melanie is also an appointed director of Optimal Global Investment Funds plc, a UCITS vehicle for which the business is the Investment Manager.
Sarah Warner
Sarah began her career at Minerva Fund Managers which was formed in 1991 by her father, Paul Warner and has over 20 years’ experience working in the sphere of Ethical and Socially Responsible Investing. Minerva had been running Ethical and SRI portfolios since 1994,was acquired by MitonOptimal UK in July 2017 and subsequently Alpha Beta in December 2020. Sarah has graduated from Cardiff University with a degree in Psychology and a masters in Social Work, and has acquired the CISI Diploma in Investment Compliance and the CISI Level 6 Certificate in Private Client Investment Advice & Management. She is a Chartered Member of the CISI.
Peter Toogood
Co-founder of the original Forsyth-OBSR Rating Service in 2002, Peter joined OBSR in 2008 where he led the advisory business before it was acquired by Morningstar in 2010. He also co-founded The Adviser Centre in 2014 and is CIO of the Embark Group. Peter plays an active role on the Investment Committee and takes responsibility for oversight of the Ethical, SRI and Sustainable portfolios.
George Higginson
George has more than 30 years of strategic and leadership roles including as CEO, Sesame Bankhall, Founder of Intrinsic Financial Services, executive career in Zurich Financial Services. Chairman Optimum Asset Management.