Welcome to a new feature where, each month, we’ll introduce you to one of our colleagues at Chase de Vere. We’ll tell you a bit about their background, what they do and how their work helps us to provide you with a better overall service. We’re going to start by introducing you to Jonathan Horsfield, who was recently appointed as the Chief Investment Officer at Chase de Vere.
Jonathan’s role
On 1 June 2022, Jonathan became the Company’s Chief Investment Officer.
Supported by a team of investment managers and research analysts, Jonathan has overall responsibility for all of the investment services provided to our clients, including their performance, managing investment risks and the ongoing communications and information provided to clients.
His background
Jonathan began his professional career in 2006, as a Trainee Investment Manager, and then as an Investment Manager, at Brewin Dolphin in Birmingham. After 18 months, he moved to London to work for RSM Tenon Financial Management as an Investment Manager, where he managed risk-rated multi-asset portfolios for clients.
He worked at RSM Tenon for 7 years, and by the time he left, in 2014, he held a senior position on the investment team which had, by then, grown to eight people. From there he moved to Cornelian Asset Managers, where he headed up fund research on a team of five investment professionals and was, again, responsible for managing risk-rated multi-asset portfolios, this time within a retail investment fund.
Jonathan joined Principal & Prosper, as an Investment Manager, in 2016, and, with his colleague Mark Owen, has been fundamental in the successful development and management of their discretionary investment proposition, which launched in April 2018. Under their tenure, from a standing start, this proposition now manages £1.4 billion in risk-managed multi-asset portfolios on behalf of clients.
Jonathan joined Chase de Vere in June 2021 when we acquired Principal & Prosper, one of the leading independent financial advisory firms in Scotland. He was appointed as the Company’s Chief Investment Officer when the investment teams of both companies were combined on 1 June 2022.
His professional qualifications
Jonathan holds a degree in Physics with Astrophysics from the University of Birmingham.
He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder. This accreditation, issued by the CFA Institute, takes a minimum of three years to achieve, and is recognised globally as one of the highest distinctions in the investment management profession.
Jonathan is also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI). CISI is the UK’s leading securities and investment professional body, and Jonathan has attained their highest accreditation level.
His investment team
By bringing the Chase de Vere and Principal & Prosper teams together, our clients will benefit from additional experience and expertise in the management of their investments.
Jonathan’s team has a combined 68 years of experience in managing risk-rated investment portfolios and researching investment funds. They’ve experienced raging bull markets, challenging periods such as the Global Financial Crisis, and everything in between.
The team is focused on maintaining the investment ethos of Chase de Vere, which involves putting a considerable focus on macro-economic and fund research, effectively managing investment risk within portfolios and adopting a truly independent approach, which means they can select the most appropriate underlying investments from the whole of the marketplace.
Client communications
Jonathan is determined to keep Chase de Vere’s clients fully engaged with his team’s thinking and with any investment decisions which are taken.
He and his team will share the macro-economic research they undertake and provide you with updates on the big issues, such as the war in Ukraine, the threat of recession or the rising rate of inflation, and what these events mean for your investment portfolios.
Jonathan also wants to be accessible to our clients and so he, and his team, will take part in webinars and other events, where you will be able to listen to their views and ask any questions.
Outside of work
Jonathan lives near Kinross in Scotland with his wife and two young children. He enjoys hiking, mountain biking and going for the occasional run, although these days mostly finds himself chasing his son around the house or talking about Pokémon with his daughter.
Jonathan says:
“I’m delighted to be the new Chief Investment Officer at Chase de Vere. My aim is to further develop our propositions and for you to have confidence that your investments are in safe hands. This can be achieved by producing consistent long-term performance, effectively managing investment risk, providing you with an excellent ongoing service, and by being accessible to you and communicating regularly with you, especially during any challenging periods.
“I’m very fortunate to have a high level of expertise and experience in my team, including Ben Willis, Justine Fearns and Bradley Packham, who will continue to add considerable value and insight to our discretionary and advisory propositions, and Mark Owen, who I’ve worked alongside at Principal & Prosper for the past six years.”