With a wealth management career spanning over twenty years, I have enjoyed the majority of it as a senior fund research analyst for Bestinvest (now part of the Evelyn Partners group). I joined the company as the third member of its research team and contributed to the successful growth of a business that became a household name within retail financial services. I had a variety of roles ranging from researching funds/investment trusts, portfolio construction, producing the infamous Spot the Dog publication showcasing the poorest performing funds, writing client articles and commenting in the press on funds and investment markets. During my final years with the company, I oversaw the launch of its multi-asset range of fund of funds and model portfolio service. As the co-manager for the Bestinvest Multi Asset funds, I helped grow fund assets from zero to over £500m at my time of departure.With the sale of Bestinvest to private equity firms, I took the opportunity to take an 18-month career break and see more of the world. I travelled in Asia and Europe, walked the historic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage across Spain and developed my Spanish language skills. That experience inspired me to write a fictional trilogy – The Reluctant Pilgrim books. I have also spoken publicly about walking the Camino and how the experience challenges us to search inside ourselves and commit to our goals.When I returned from my travels, I realised I wanted to have a more flexible working lifestyle and focus on the areas of investment that I’m most passionate about. As well as working with a varied range of businesses from wealth managers, IFAs to fund management groups.I have a talent for researching investment funds, both qualitative and quantitative, and swiftly understanding the key elements of fund management investment processes; simplifying investment strategy/asset allocation and mentoring junior team members.Other specialities: Due diligence on recommended fund/investment trust lists and investment structures; investment committee membership; offshore fund research; ESG ratings; investment writing/thought leadership; review of fund manager RFPs and advisor presentations.