Chase de Vere, the firm of independent financial advisers with offices in Bath, has appointed Ben Willis as head of portfolio management.
Ben, pictured, will have overall responsibility for managing the firm’s new discretionary model portfolio service, due to be launched on June 4.
He will be based in Chase de Vere’s Bath office, where he will work alongside investment research manager Justine Fearns.
Ben entered the financial services industry in 1999 when he joined Chartwell Investment Management.
He joined Bristol-based wealth management firm Whitechurch Securities seven years later as head of research and senior investment manager.
He was lead manager on several of Whitechurch’s discretionary portfolios which won investment awards for risk adjusted performance, and had joint responsibility for running around £400m, before leaving Whitechurch to join Chase de Vere.
He said: “I am very excited about launching Chase de Vere’s new discretionary investment service, as I know that I have the skill set, experience and expertise to make it a success. I am aiming to translate the award-winning performance I’ve achieved previously to the new portfolios I will be running.
“It has been relatively straightforward to make gains over the past decade, as most assets have risen in value. However, it is likely that we face more challenging times and my experience in generating returns, while effectively managing risk, should prove beneficial for Chase de Vere’s clients.”
Chase de Vere chief executive Stephen Kavanagh added: “I want to make sure that Chase de Vere has a market-leading discretionary model portfolio service. This is why we have recruited Ben, who is an experienced and successful investment manager.
“With the launch of this new service, we will be able to manage our clients’ investments and pensions on either an advisory or discretionary basis, whichever suits their needs best. This is a big step forwards as we aim to provide the best overall service for our clients and to be recognised as the leading firm of independent financial advisers in the UK.”
Chase de Vere provides independent financial advice and planning services for private individuals and businesses across a network of 17 UK offices.
