Capital International Group is delighted to announce the appointment of James Penn as Head of Equity. In this role, James will be responsible for the Group’s equity selection process, managing the company’s institutional accounts, and for leading the equity team.

It is the second time that James has worked at CIG, having served six years there in the ‘Noughties’ when the company was still based in Castletown. After starting his career as a journalist, James requalified as an investment professional in the mid-1990s (initially as an assistant to the Chief Investment Officer at Coutts). After three years there, he joined Singer & Friedlander for four years as a Junior Portfolio Manager and analyst, covering the Alcoholic Beverage, Leisure, and Media sectors. He then moved on to Capital International Group in 2003, where he spent six years as a Portfolio Manager and subsequently Senior Portfolio Manager (years which included weathering the financial crisis of 2008). While there, he became the first person on the Island to acquire the prestigious CFA Charter, a qualification that prides itself on demanding the qualities of ethics, analysis, rigour and tenacity from those that sit the exams.

In 2010, James moved to Thomas Miller Investments as an Institutional Portfolio Manager, where he managed several large portfolios and worked on the company’s Fixed Interest and Equity teams. He went on to be appointed Senior Portfolio Manager and Deputy Head of the Equity team. James is aiming to build a winning team culture at CIG based on solid security analysis, including modeling and primary research, as well as maintaining the company’s customer focus, and supporting the efficient delivery of investment performance through recently streamlined investment processes and systems. James will help grow Capital’s discretionary investment business over the next few years, as well as providing strong investment performance to the existing client base. James has enjoyed re-familiarising himself with some old friends at CIL, as well as meeting many new faces given the company has grown substantially since he was last there in 2009. He is also enjoying the ambiance and greater space of the company’s new headquarters in Douglas. As well as holding the CFA Charter, James is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (FCSI), and an Associate of the Society of Investment Professionals (ASIP).

“I am very much looking forward to re-joining Capital International,” said James. ‘I admire the company’s values of ‘innovation, integrity and excellence’, and am delighted to have the opportunity to play a key role in our journey ahead.” Commenting on his appointment, Group Chief Investment Officer, David Long, said, “James brings extensive experience from his past career. I look forward to working with him on a number of ambitious plans in the years ahead.”