‘Amazing’, is how James Barton describes the last 12 months at Featherstone, which he joined as a partner last year from Odey. The firm is part of a privately owned group, founded in 1999 to run the investments of a single family. prides itself on offering the versatility and friendliness of a smaller firm paired with a remarkable depth of experience and knowledge. ‘One of the things we do, which a lot of our competitors don’t, is have a flexible portfolio. We don’t cling to the static benchmarks ubiquitous in the industry.’
It’s an approach that has won the firm many plaudits, so much so that Barton says it’s been on a recruitment drive to cope with rising client demand. ‘We feel that regionally, a lot of people are underwhelmed by financial advisers,’ he says. ‘People think they can do it just as well themselves by using a platform, and in many cases they might be right.’
The firm’s investment advisory arm is rooted in the belief that it’s ‘simply not possible’ for a sole investment management company to succeed across all asset classes, geographies and sectors. The firm hand-picks the best specialist practitioners around the world accordingly, in what it calls a ‘multi-manager’ investment advisory service.