Edinburgh Investment Forum 2019

Amanda is Head of Global ESG Investment Research at Aberdeen Standard Investments, where she leads a team of analysts focusing on the sustainability issues affecting Standard Life Investment’s investee companies. The team focuses on integrating human rights, environment, labour standard and business ethics issues into the mainstream investment process, as well as providing oversight to its Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI) and ethical investment propositions. Prior to joining Standard Life Investments, Amanda was the SRI Officer at Newton Investment Management where she integrated environmental, social and governance matters into Newton’s mainstream investment process. Amanda started her career in responsibility investment at CCLA Investment Management where she has responsibility for CCLA’s charity clients. Amanda’s first research position was at Rabobank International, in the economics department. Amanda graduated from Lancaster University with a BSc in Psychology. Amanda current sits on the FTSE ESG Advisory Committee. She was a member of the board of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association for six years.

Charles Ross is an Associate Investment Specialist for the Aberdeen Standard Investments equity fund range and is responsible for the commercialisation and development of the equity asset class. He works alongside the investment team and his primary role is to ensure that clients and consultants have clarity on the philosophy, process and investment positioning of this growing asset class. By understanding the changing needs of different groups of investors, he is responsible for developing new equity strategies and customised investment solutions for institutional clients globally.

Charles has a Diploma of Higher Education in Physics from Edinburgh University and has passed the IMC qualification.

Dale MacLennan is Head of the Equity Investment Specialists Team at Aberdeen Standard Investments and works closely with our active equity division to support its commercial growth and development. Dale joined Standard Life Investments in 2002, and has 25 years of experience in the industry. Prior to joining Standard Life Investments, he was an Investment Director at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership and at the WM Company. Dale graduated with an MA (Hons) in Economics and holds the IMC.

Dongyue is an Investment Director and a Senior Investment Specialist within the Multi-Asset Investing Team at Aberdeen Standard Investments. He is responsible for the growth and development of the firm's multi-asset suite of products the Asia Pacific. Prior to this, he worked at Goldman Sachs Asset Management as a Portfolio Manager in the Global Portfolio Solutions Group. Mr. Zhang started his career as an actuary at Watson Wyatt. He graduated summa cum laude from Hamilton College with BA degrees in Mathematics and Psychology, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.

Euan is the Global Head of Stewardship and ESG Investment at Aberdeen Standard Investments. Euan is responsible for the Stewardship and ESG Investment Teams which comprises our corporate governance and responsible investment activities. This involves establishing and applying appropriate policies to our stewardship of the companies that we invest in on behalf of our clients. These policies cover the key areas of the environment, social policy and governance (‘ESG’) that help to determine a company’s sustainable future. Euan joined Standard Life Investments in 2001 as Investment Director, UK Equities, where he researched a varied range of sectors and managing UK equity portfolios for institutional clients. Prior to this, Euan worked at Schroder Investment Management as a Fund Manager on the UK Equity desk from 1996. Previously, From 1991 to 1996 Euan worked in a variety of accounting roles spanning Private Practice, Industry and Local Government; he began his career in 1986 with Ernst & Young as a Chartered Accountant.

Euan graduated with a BA and is also a chartered accountant.

Graham is responsible for the commercialisation and development of the equity asset class at Aberdeen Standard Investments. He works alongside the investment team and his primary role is to ensure that investors have clarity on the philosophy, process and investment positioning of this growing asset class. By understanding the changing needs of different groups of investors, he is responsible for developing new equity strategies and customised investment solutions for a range of investors globally. He has a BSc from Heriot Watt University and also holds the IMC.

Nick Millington is Co-head Quantitative Equities on the Quantitative Investments team and is responsible for overseeing a range of active systematic equity strategies. Nick joined Aberdeen Standard Investments as a result of the merger between Aberdeen Asset Management and Standard Life in August 2017 and joined Aberdeen through the acquisition of SWIP in 2014 where he had been a founding member of the Quantitative Investment Team. He joined SWIP in 2001 as a Quantitative Analyst before progressing to become Head of Portfolio Risk and then Co-Head of Quantitative Equities. Prior to this, he began his career at JP Morgan Investment Management in 1998 working in a number of roles including equity derivatives, FX and cash.

Nick holds a BA (Hons) degree in Economics from the University of Strathclyde

Sean Phayre is the Global Head of Quantitative Investment Strategies at Aberdeen Standard Investments in Edinburgh and is tasked with the development and management of quantitative strategies and structured product capabilities in both Equities and Fixed Interest.

Sean joined Aberdeen in 2014 as part of Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) heritage. Sean commenced his investment career at Edinburgh Fund Managers which later became Aberdeen Asset Management. He established Quantitative Investment teams at both companies, and latterly was Co-Head of Quantitative Equities and Derivative Strategies. In 2005, Sean joined SWIP as Head of the Quantitative Investment Group. Upon re-joining Aberdeen, Sean assumed the role of Global Head of Quantitative Investments and joined the Group Management Board (GMB).

Sean holds a BSc (Hons) in Mathematical Sciences, an MSc in Industrial Mathematics and a PhD in Statistics and Modelling Science, all from the University of Strathclyde. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Investment Analysis from the University of Stirling. Sean is regular member of CFA UK.

Theo Craig is an Equity Investment Specialist at Aberdeen Standard Investments. Theo is primarily responsible for coverage of UK Equities with additional coverage of European equities. Theo joined Standard Life Investments in 2014 from Newedge where he worked as a multi-asset Sales Trader. Previously, Theo founded Shuna Capital, a systematic derivatives trading firm. Prior to that, Theo worked for Aspect Capital as a derivatives and equity trader on trend following and multi-factor equity products.

Theo graduated with a BA (Hons) in Finance from the University of Strathclyde and holds the IMC.

Andrew Lister is a Senior Investment Manager and Head of Closed End Fund Strategies at Aberdeen Standard Investments. He has been investing in closed end funds for over 18 years. He joined Aberdeen Asset Management in December 2015 via the acquisiton of Advance Emerging Capital Limited, where he served as Co-CIO.

Andrew graduated from the University of Exeter with a BA in Geography in 1999. He completed the Investment Management Certificate in 2001 and qualified as a technical analyst in 2005.

Dr. Anne Friel is a Quantitative Investment Director at Aberdeen Standard Investments. She is responsible for the provision of broad based quantitative consultancy to the Multi-Asset Investing Team for research, marketing and fund management purposes. Responsible for ensuring bond plus swap overlay funds are run within basis risk limits, by monitoring risk parameters and proposing and executing risk reduction trades. Anne joined Standard Life Investments in 2001 and joined the Strategic Solutions Unit as Quantitative Analyst in 2005. Prior to joining Standard Life Investments Anne’s investment experience was gained at Robert Fleming and Gartmore Investment Management.

Anne graduated with a BEng (1st Class Hons) in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from University of Bradford and a PhD in Modelling of Signal Interactions in Mobile Communications Systems from University of Bradford. Anne is a SFA Registered Representative, a Professional Risk Manager (PRM) and holds the Investment Management Certificate (IMC).

Brian is an Senior Investment Specialist at Aberdeen Standard Investments. Brian joined Standard Life Investments in 2013 as a multi-asset investment specialist where he was responsible for supporting the expansion of the risk based funds proposition. Engaging regularly with adviser clients and ratings agencies, he also works closely with the distribution, marketing and governance functions to ensure the product suite remains fit for purpose. Brian joined from Fidelity Investment where he was a sales manager covering Scotland and Northern Ireland, having previously worked for Insight Investment and Santander Asset management in sales and client manager roles.

Guillaume Delprat is a Quantitative Analyst at Aberdeen Standard Investments. Guillaume actively researches, develops and manages systematic strategies and portfolios across asset classes. Guillaume joined Standard Life in 2014 as an Investment Risk Manager, with a specific focus on Money Markets and Multi asset portfolios. Prior to joining, Guillaume worked for Barclays Capital implementing Basel 3 and focusing on Credit and Equity Derivatives.

Guillaume holds a BSc in Internal business from Rouen Business School as well as a MSc in Business analysis and consulting from Strathclyde University. He is a holder of the Investment Management Certificate (IMC).

Helen Martin is a Senior Investment Proposition Manager at Aberdeen Standard Investments and is responsible for ensuring that our investment propositions are embedded and integrated with key partners to meet customer needs. Helen joined Standard Life in 2009 and has held a wide variety of roles across the group.

Helen graduated with a BA (Hons) in English Literature from the University of Sheffield.

Ian McWilliam is an Analyst at Aberdeen Standard Investments, working in the Macro Systematic Strategies and Risk team where he focusses on using modern machine learning methods to construct and manage systematic strategies . Ian joined Aberdeen Asset Management in 2013 through the graduate scheme and holds an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Edinburgh, where he also completed an undergraduate degree in Mathematics.

Kevin joined Standard Life Aberdeen in March 2013 and leads the team responsible for the design of investment propositions for DC workplace members, retail advisers and individual customers via our distribution partners. A key part of his role involves developing packaged products and services (such as default investment strategies, choice architectures, member journey development, decision support tools, education and guidance) with the aim of making it easier for those saving for retirement (individually or via a workplace DC pension scheme) and/or accessing their money in retirement, to achieve their desired outcomes.

Kevin has approximately 20 years’ experience in financial services including roles with Franklin Templeton, where he was Product Strategy Director responsible for developing investment products to meet the needs of retail and institutional clients in the UK and Europe, as well as Scottish Widows Investment Partnership and Edinburgh Fund Managers.

Adam focuses on driving the commercial appeal of a range of fixed income strategies at Aberdeen Standard Investments. He works alongside our investment teams, responsible for developing new fixed income strategies and customised investment solutions for clients globally. Prior to joining Aberdeen Standard Investments in 2013, Adam was a risk reporting analyst at Royal Bank of Scotland. He worked within the global restructuring group providing analysis on the capital requirements of the non-core asset loan book. Adam also interned within the strategic investment group at Royal Bank of Scotland. Adam has six years investment experience at Aberdeen Standard Investments and seven years industry experience. He has a BSc from Royal Holloway, University of London and is a CFA charterholder.

Amit Moudgil is a Fixed Income Investment Specialist and is responsible for supporting the commercial growth of the Fixed Income franchise at Aberdeen Standard Investments.Amit joined Standard Life Investments in 2006 from State Street where he was a Performance Analyst.

Amitgraduated with a BA (Hons) in Business Economics from Napier University. Amit holds the Investment Management Certificate and passed Level I examination of the CFA Program in 2012.

Andrew Mason is a Senior Analyst with Aberdeen Standard Life Investments. Mr. Mason is an Ambassador for the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainable Business and the Chairman of a Scottish based Children’s Charity ‘The Junction’. He has a Master’s Degree from the University of Edinburgh and a Post Graduate Degree from University of Cambridge.

Josef Helmes is an Investment Director at Aberdeen Standard Investments. Josef has Portfolio Management and Analyst responsibilities, with a specific focus on European Credit portfolios and the Utilities and Energy sectors. Josef joined Standard Life Investments in 2011 from Postbank Financial Services GmbH in Frankfurt, where he was a Fund Manager in the Fixed Income/Credit team. Previously, Josef worked for BayernLB in Munich as a Credit Analyst in the Fixed Income Research team. Prior to that, Josef started his career as an Account Manager for institutional clients Allianz Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH, Munich.

Josef graduated with a diploma (BA) from Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft in Hannover, Germany and is a CFA® Charterholder.

Mark Munro is is an Investment Director at Aberdeen Standard Investments. Mark is a Portfolio Manager in our Credit team for Sterling Investment Grade Credit Funds and Strategic Bond Fund. Mark joined Standard Life Investments in 2013 from Scottish Widows Investments Partnership where he worked as an Investment Manager on the Corporate Bond Team, with responsibility for Sterling and Euro credit funds.

Roubesh Adaya is a Senior Investment Specialist and is responsible for representing the EMD at Aberdeen Standard Investments to internal and external clients. Roubesh joined Aberdeen Standard Investments in 2016 from AXA Investment Managers where he was a Senior Product Specialist in Fixed Income. Previously, Roubesh worked for bfinance as Head of Fixed Income Research. Prior to that, Roubesh worked for BNP Paribas Investment Partners.

Roubesh graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Accounting & Finance from the University of Warwick.

Thomas Maxwell is an Investment Director in the Multi-Asset Investing team within Aberdeen Standard Investments. Thomas is a co-manager of the Absolute Return Global Bond Strategies Fund and member of the Strategic Investment Group. Prior to joining the Multi-Asset team in July-2018, Thomas was a portfolio manager within the Credit team for Sterling and European funds, and he had research responsibilities for the European insurance sector. Thomas joined Standard Life Investments in 2010 as a credit analyst. Previously, Thomas worked as an intern in DPTG Dubai, where he worked on the trading floor.

Thomas graduated with a BA (Hons) from Manchester University, holds the Investment Management Certificate and is a CFA charterholder.

Andrew is Head of Distribution Asia Pacific at Aberdeen Standard Investments based in Singapore. Previously he was Managing Director of Westoun Advisors where he advised asset managers on strategic expansion and asset gathering. Before Westoun he was Head of M&G Investments Asia, where he launched the business in the region. Prior to this he was at The Capital Group Companies, during which time he worked in various groups including private equity, institutional client relations and global financial institution distribution. During his career he has worked in Los Angeles, London, Geneva, Singapore and Hong Kong. He has 22 years of experience in the investment management industry. Andrew is CFA charter holder and has an MBA from INSEAD and an MA in Economics and French from the University of St. Andrews.

Barry Fricke is Global Head of Private Credit, Product & Client Solutions at Aberdeen Standard Investments. He represents the private credit capabilities of the firm, developing new and customised investment solutions for clients globally. Prior to joining Aberdeen Standard Investments in April 2017 he was an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs for eight years, based at various stages out of London and New York, advising on and managing private credit and alternative investment portfolios. He started his career at JP Morgan, working on investment strategy and portfolio construction. Barry holds an MA in Philosophy from the University of London, Birkbeck, an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg), and a BEng in Electronic Engineering from the University of Pretoria. He is a CFA charterholder and holds the Certificate in Quantitative Finance. Barry is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.

Eric Bruce is a Client Director – APAC & China at Aberdeen Standard Investments, where he is responsible for developing strategic relationships across Asia Pacific, working closely with the regional business leaders, Group Chairman, and Senior Executives within ASI. Eric joined Standard Life Group in 1997, where he held a range of UK and International roles including Head of Wealth and Investment solutions and subsequently chief distribution officer for the Standard Life Asia (SLA) business in Hong Kong.

Eric graduated with a BA (Hons) in Financial Services and holds the Investment Management Certificate.

Ross is responsible for developing initiatives across private equity, infrastructure equity, real assets and private markets solutions. He joined Standard Life Group in 2008 where he gained experience of bringing innovative products to market for both the insurance and asset management industries. Prior to joining the team, Ross was an investment specialist who developed client-driven private market solutions. In this role, he primarily focused on designing, embedding and fundraising for the Global Private Markets Fund. Ross currently sits on the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries Illiquid Assets Committee, which promotes the use of private markets in investment strategies for insurance companies and pension schemes. He is a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and holds a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics from Durham University.

Stephen Flett is a Senior Associate Investment Specialist at Aberdeen Standard Investments. Stephen is responsible for specialist business development and product management for a range of the firm’s real estate funds. Stephen joined Standard Life Investments in 2005 from Lloyds Banking Group where he was a Sales Manager. Within SLI, Stephen initially spent 10 years as part of the UK Wholesale Distribution Team focusing on business development and the management of the London and Edinburgh based support structures of the UK Wholesale Sales Team. Since then, Stephen has worked within the Global Distribution structure as Technical Manager and in his current role as Senior Associate Investment Specialist.

He holds the Investment Management Certificate.