Team

Charu Fernando, CFA – Chairwoman, Chief Investment Officer

Charu has 37 years of investment experience and has been managing institutional assets since 1987. Prior to founding Edgbaston in 2008, she spent over 21 years at Pyrford International Plc where she was appointed the Head of Asian Equities in 1993. Charu has practiced a value-based investment philosophy in the Asian region for over three decades. She was born in India but grew up in Calgary, Canada. Charu received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary in 1984 and a Master of Arts from the University of Warwick in 1985. She attained the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1990. Charu resides in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham, UK.

Sarah Nichols – Senior Portfolio Manager, Head of Research

Sarah has 24 years of experience in Asian equities. Sarah previously managed Asia ex-Japan institutional assets at both Singer & Friedlander Investment Management and Legal & General. She also previously worked at Credit Suisse and at UBS Investment Bank in institutional Asian equity sales. Sarah received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Christ Church College, Oxford University in 1996 and a Master of Sciences in Economics and Development Economics from the University of Nottingham in 1998. She qualified as an Associate of the Institute of Investment Management and Research in 2000.

Geraldine Arrigoni, CFA – Investment Manager

Geraldine joined Edgbaston in November 2013 and has 23 years of experience in Asian equities. Geraldine was previously a portfolio manager at Pyrford International Plc where, from 2003 to 2008, she worked closely with Charu Fernando. She also has previous experience at Cazenove Fund Management and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Geraldine received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Wales, Cardiff. She attained the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2003.

Christian O’Kelly, CFA – Investment Manager

Christian joined Edgbaston in November 2016 and has 11 years of equity research experience. Prior to joining Edgbaston, Christian worked as an Investment Analyst at Eight Investment Partners in Sydney, Australia. He also has previous experience at Marathon Asset Management. Christian received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Bath. He attained the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2015.

Mark Burrows, CFA – Investment Manager

Mark has 8 years of equity research experience and joined Edgbaston in December 2022. Mark was previously an Investment Analyst at Aristeus Financial Services. He also has previous experience at Velanne Asset Management and Sanford Bernstein. Mark received a Bachelor of Arts in Politics with English from the University of Loughborough. He attained the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in November 2014 and is currently studying for the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing.

Matthew Myles – Chief Operating Officer

Matthew directs all operations at Edgbaston. Prior to joining Edgbaston, Matthew worked at UBS Wealth Management and before that he worked closely with Charu Fernando at Pyrford International Plc. He also previously held positions with Jewson Associates Investment Consultants and the British Bankers’ Association. Matthew has a Bachelor of Science in Business Quantitative Methods from the University of Teesside, and holds the CFA Institute’s Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement, the CISI’s Investment Operations Certificate, and NRS’s Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional designation.

Charlotte Gibson – Client Service and Business Development

Charlotte joined Edgbaston in September 2016. She previously worked at Schroder Investment Management as a Product Development Executive. She has a Bachelor of Science in Politics from the University of Bristol and she obtained the Investment Management Certificate in 2015.

Kayleigh Smith – Client Service and Business Development

Kayleigh joined Edgbaston in December 2019. She previously worked at LumX Asset Management (UK) Ltd, Nomura International Plc, Morgan Stanley and Accenture, with a focus on Operations and Client Service. Kayleigh holds a Bsc (Hons) in Politics with International Relations from the University of Bath. She obtained the CISI Investment Operations Certificate in 2013, the CISI Capital Markets Programme qualification in 2021 and the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing in 2022.

Philip Coyle – Data

Philip joined the firm in March 2021. Before joining Edgbaston, Philip worked as an Analyst within Investment Analytics at Dimensional Fund Advisors. Prior to that, he worked at Gale and Phillipson as an Investment Analyst. Philip received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Queen Mary University in 2017. 

Samiat Kolawole – Investment Operations

Sami joined Edgbaston in March 2022. She has experience at Starling Bank, Foster and Partners, and Barclays Plc. Sami received a BSc in Business Management from Kingston University in 2020 and obtained an MSc in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence from Queen Mary University in 2022.

Jacob Tuck – Investment Operations

Jacob joined Edgbaston in August 2022. Prior to joining the firm, Jacob worked as an Investment Accounts Executive within Wealth Management at Boolers. He received a BSc (Hons) in Accounting & Finance from Nottingham Trent University in 2020 and is currently a Level I candidate for the Chartered Financial Analyst exam. 

Sarah Chambers – Project Manager & Company Secretary

Sarah joined Edgbaston in February 2009. She has over two decades of experience in front, middle and back-office investment roles. Prior to joining Edgbaston, Sarah worked at UBS, Citibank, Deutsche Bank/BT Alex Brown, NatWest Securities, and JP Morgan/Chase. Sarah received a joint Bachelor of Arts Degree in Italian and Management Studies from the University of Leeds in 1993. She has also obtained the CISI Certificate in Investments (Securities). In April 2018, Sarah became Company Secretary to Edgbaston Partners Limited’s Board of Directors and Secretary to Edgbaston Investment Partners LLP’s Executive Committee. Sarah also manages special projects within the firm and acts as backup dealer.

Aedan Loker – Dealer

Aedan joined Edgbaston in July 2012 and assumed the role of primary dealer in November 2018. He initially joined the investment operations team having previously worked in fund administration at investment firm Silchester International Investors. Prior to that, Aedan worked as an analyst at Capita Financial and as a fund accountant at PNC Global Investment Servicing. Aedan received a BSc (Hons) in Economics and Finance from the University of York and holds the CISI Diploma in Investment Operations and the CISI Certificate in Securities. Aedan also leads all technology related projects.

Stephen Shepherd – Chief Compliance Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer

Stephen joined Edgbaston in April 2012. Stephen previously worked at investment firm Silchester International Investors. Prior to that he worked as a financial adjudicator at the Financial Ombudsman Service and as a paralegal. Stephen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Leeds. He also obtained or completed a Graduate Diploma in Law, the Legal Practice Course, and an LLM in Professional Legal Practice, all from BPP Law School. In addition, Stephen holds the NRS’s Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional designation, the CISI’s Diploma in Investment Compliance and the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing.