Suneet Kumar
Investment Manager
London
What attracted you to a career in wealth management?
After initially training to qualify as a solicitor, I pursued my interest in financial markets and pivoted to a career in investment management. I began my first job at Rathbones in late 1999 towards the end of the dot-com boom. In my formative years, the importance of compounding returns by investing in quality businesses together a with highly personalised service resonated in the value it delivered for clients in meeting their goals. Whilst it remains crucial to continually evolve and improve, these are core values which I hold dear today.
From my initial focus on private clients, I increasingly gravitated towards charity investment where I combine my dual passions of long-term investment and the charitable sector. I joined Quilter Cheviot in 2017 and am part of the central charities team. I bring significant experience to the team, with the bulk of my career spent at HSBC Global Asset Management and Barclays Private Bank as a dedicated charity investment specialist.
I am a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) and have a degree in Law from Lancaster University.
How do you approach your role on a daily basis?
As a specialist charity investment manager, it is vital to understand all issues peculiar to the sector and to share knowledge with clients from years of experience of working with different charitable organisations. This goes beyond being aware of charity specifics on investment matters to include wide ranging issues such as charity governance, spreading knowledge through events and a varied educational programme dedicated to the sector, and embracing what is often a more forward-thinking approach to responsible investment.
What are your interests outside of work?
Amongst my charitable commitments, I serve as an independent adviser to the NHS Confederation investment committee. Prior to this role, I acted in the same capacity for the Cats Protection investment committee and have volunteered as a mentor with a homeless charity. In my spare time, I am a keen cricketer and continually strive to improve my golf.