The Portfolio Managers
Premier Asset Management Limited
Premier Asset Management, through its regulated subsidiaries, manages a range of authorised UK and offshore funds, investment trusts and third party investment mandates and also provides discretionary portfolio management services for both private customers and charities. Premier's investment philosophy is simple and directly aligned with the interests of its customers – to create market leading portfolio performance.
By encouraging individualism, responsibility and pro active decision making within a well managed and disciplined framework, Premier's team of highly experienced investment managers focus solely on generating long term results. Our investment managers are chosen carefully for their passion and commitment to what they do, which is helping to grow your investment. They are supported by skilled
teams who aim to deliver an exceptional level of service to our customers.
Premier is owned by its senior staff and institutional investors. We believe this ensures a close alignment of interest between what we do and our customers.
Fred Fulcher
Director - Portfolio Management
Fred currently heads up the Discretionary Management Division of Premier. From 1989 through to joining Premier in 2002, Fred held the position of Senior Portfolio Manager with Govett Investment Managers, looking after a range of private client pension fund and charity portfolios, ranging in value from £250,000 to £60 million. Fred was also responsible for marketing portfolio services through the Allied Irish Bank’s branch network in Britain and First Trust Bank network in Northern Ireland.
Nigel Sidebottom
Investment Director
Nigel joined Premier through the acquisition of BFS Investments in 2005. He joined BFS as a director in 1999 from the stockbroker Greig Middleton where he was Managing Director of the Asset Management Division, having held the same position at Gerrard Vivian Gray. At Premier, he is Deputy Chief Investment Officer with responsibility for directing Premier's private client and closed end funds businesses and also manages the Premier Enterprise Fund as well as certain growth strategies for private clients. Nigel is a non-executive director of JP Morgan Elect plc and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments (CISI). He has been in stockbroking and fund management for 25 years and is regarded as an expert of the investment trust sector.
Nick Kelsall
Portfolio Manager
Nick has worked in the financial services industry for 12 years, joining Premier in February 2001 from Carr Sheppards Crosthwaite Ltd (now Investec Wealth & Investment) where he had been employed for 2 years as a Unit Trust dealer. He is currently employed within the discretionary department where his responsibilities include the day to day management of private client portfolios.
David Pendlebury
Portfolio Manager
David joined the Premier discretionary team in October 2005 when Premier took over the business of BFS Investments plc. Prior to working for Premier and joining BFS Investments in March 2000, David was Associate Director at Gerrard Stockbrokers in their asset management division for just under six years. David started his career in the city in 1989, working initially for The London Stock Exchange Traded Options Market, then joining Societe Generale Strauss Turnbull on the derivatives desk of their central market making team in 1990. Following this, he worked for Wise Speke Stockbrokers in their private client advisory team, until joining Gerrards in 1994. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments (CISI) and holds the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments Diploma.
Paul Smith
Senior Investment Manager
Paul has managed fixed income securities at Premier since 2006 and his responsibilities include the management of a number of open and closed end funds. In 2011, Paul was awarded the 'Investment Week Fund Manager of the Year Award' for the Money Market sector. He has a 1st class BA (hons) degree in Economics and an MA in Finance and Investment (with Distinction) from Exeter University.
Raj Hallen
Investment Specialist / Portfolio Manager
Raj re-joined Premier in January 2008 as an Investment Specialist after a two and a half year spell with Skandia Investment Management as Deputy Chief Investment Officer. In his first period at Premier, which spanned from March 2001 to April 2005, Raj was Head of Research and also co-managed the fund of funds range. Prior to that he was an Investment Director at Drummond Moores, an Investment IFA, where he managed both advisory and discretionary private client portfolios, pension and charity portfolios.
Raj started his investment career at Newton Fund Managers in 1990, where he spent nearly eight years as an Investment Sales Manager. He holds both the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments (CISI) Diploma and the Advanced Financial Planning Certificate.