Charities
An investment approach that is attractive for charities
We offer a discretionary investment management service that has proved popular with charities and their trustees across the UK. We may give advice as part of this service.
Our large base of charity clients includes livery companies, hospitals, schools, religious bodies, community foundations, universities and grant–making endowments.
As at 29 November 2019, we manage portfolios for over 300 charities, accounting for £1.6 billion of Ruffer’s £19.8 billion of assets under management. This makes us one of the top 10 largest charity fund managers in the UK.
Our investment service for charities
Charities that invest with Ruffer can have their own segregated portfolio, or invest via a pooled fund.
Segregated portfolios can be tailored to clients’ requirements – to incorporate ethical investment restrictions, for example – and provide transparency to the underlying investments.
One of our pooled funds, the Charity Assets Trust, is a common investment fund incorporating a responsible investment policy.
Information on our approach to environmental, social and governance issues can be found here.
CHARITIES TEAM
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Christopher Querée
Investment Director
Previously Director at Le Masurier, James & Chinn, now absorbed within the HSBC Group. He spent thirteen years there, with responsibility for offshore private clients, moving to Chiswell Associates in 2001 to focus on charity fund management, before joining Ruffer in 2004 to help develop the firm’s charity business. He holds an MBA from Henley Management College and is co-manager of Ruffer’s Common Investment Fund, the Charity Assets Trust.
Hermione Davies
Investment Director
Previously Managing Director of Bessemer Group (UK) Limited, she was Chief Investment Officer of the group’s non–US investments. She graduated from Oxford and started her career at NatWest Bank prior to becoming a Fund Manager of a Japanese–Pacific Unit Trust at Guinness Mahon & Co Ltd. She joined Ruffer in 2009.
Jenny Renton
Investment Director
Joined Ruffer in 2013. After reading politics at Newcastle University, she worked with oil and gas companies on their corporate and financial strategies before joining the fund team at Ingenious Investments. She is a CFA charterholder and co-manager of Ruffer’s Common Investment Fund, the Charity Assets Trust.
David Ballance
Investment Director
Previously International Equities Head at Rothschild Private Management and European Equities Head at Rothschild Asset Management. He graduated from Oxford and was a Senior Investment Manager at Allied Dunbar, before moving to Threadneedle as Head of European Equities. He joined Ruffer in 2006 and manages a number of segregated portfolios for institutional and private clients.
David Benson
Investment Director
After graduating from Oxford University, he worked at Phillips & Drew Fund Management (1991–1999), predominantly managing UK equity portfolios for pension funds. A consultant for McKinsey & Company from 1999, he joined Deutsche Asset Management in 2004. In 2005, worked as a fund manager at Société Générale, focusing on pooled UK equity and multi–asset portfolios for UK institutions and retail investors. He joined Ruffer in 2010.
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Ajay Johal
Investment Manager
Graduated from the University of Warwick with a degree in history and sociology and worked at Barclays Wealth before joining Ruffer in 2014. In 2019, he worked as an equity analyst in Ruffer’s Hong Kong office, before returning to the charities team in London as an Investment Manager. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment.
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Christopher Querée
Investment Director
Previously Director at Le Masurier, James & Chinn, now absorbed within the HSBC Group. He spent thirteen years there, with responsibility for offshore private clients, moving to Chiswell Associates in 2001 to focus on charity fund management, before joining Ruffer in 2004 to help develop the firm’s charity business. He holds an MBA from Henley Management College and is co-manager of Ruffer’s Common Investment Fund, the Charity Assets Trust.
Hermione Davies
Investment Director
Previously Managing Director of Bessemer Group (UK) Limited, she was Chief Investment Officer of the group’s non–US investments. She graduated from Oxford and started her career at NatWest Bank prior to becoming a Fund Manager of a Japanese–Pacific Unit Trust at Guinness Mahon & Co Ltd. She joined Ruffer in 2009.
Jenny Renton
Investment Director
Joined Ruffer in 2013. After reading politics at Newcastle University, she worked with oil and gas companies on their corporate and financial strategies before joining the fund team at Ingenious Investments. She is a CFA charterholder and co-manager of Ruffer’s Common Investment Fund, the Charity Assets Trust.
David Ballance
Investment Director
Previously International Equities Head at Rothschild Private Management and European Equities Head at Rothschild Asset Management. He graduated from Oxford and was a Senior Investment Manager at Allied Dunbar, before moving to Threadneedle as Head of European Equities. He joined Ruffer in 2006 and manages a number of segregated portfolios for institutional and private clients.
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David Benson
Investment Director
After graduating from Oxford University, he worked at Phillips & Drew Fund Management (1991–1999), predominantly managing UK equity portfolios for pension funds. A consultant for McKinsey & Company from 1999, he joined Deutsche Asset Management in 2004. In 2005, worked as a fund manager at Société Générale, focusing on pooled UK equity and multi–asset portfolios for UK institutions and retail investors. He joined Ruffer in 2010.
Ajay Johal
Investment Manager
Graduated from the University of Warwick with a degree in history and sociology and worked at Barclays Wealth before joining Ruffer in 2014. In 2019, he worked as an equity analyst in Ruffer’s Hong Kong office, before returning to the charities team in London as an Investment Manager. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment.
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Christopher Querée
Investment Director
Previously Director at Le Masurier, James & Chinn, now absorbed within the HSBC Group. He spent thirteen years there, with responsibility for offshore private clients, moving to Chiswell Associates in 2001 to focus on charity fund management, before joining Ruffer in 2004 to help develop the firm’s charity business. He holds an MBA from Henley Management College and is co-manager of Ruffer’s Common Investment Fund, the Charity Assets Trust.
Hermione Davies
Investment Director
Previously Managing Director of Bessemer Group (UK) Limited, she was Chief Investment Officer of the group’s non–US investments. She graduated from Oxford and started her career at NatWest Bank prior to becoming a Fund Manager of a Japanese–Pacific Unit Trust at Guinness Mahon & Co Ltd. She joined Ruffer in 2009.
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Jenny Renton
Investment Director
Joined Ruffer in 2013. After reading politics at Newcastle University, she worked with oil and gas companies on their corporate and financial strategies before joining the fund team at Ingenious Investments. She is a CFA charterholder and co-manager of Ruffer’s Common Investment Fund, the Charity Assets Trust.
David Ballance
Investment Director
Previously International Equities Head at Rothschild Private Management and European Equities Head at Rothschild Asset Management. He graduated from Oxford and was a Senior Investment Manager at Allied Dunbar, before moving to Threadneedle as Head of European Equities. He joined Ruffer in 2006 and manages a number of segregated portfolios for institutional and private clients.
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David Benson
Investment Director
After graduating from Oxford University, he worked at Phillips & Drew Fund Management (1991–1999), predominantly managing UK equity portfolios for pension funds. A consultant for McKinsey & Company from 1999, he joined Deutsche Asset Management in 2004. In 2005, worked as a fund manager at Société Générale, focusing on pooled UK equity and multi–asset portfolios for UK institutions and retail investors. He joined Ruffer in 2010.
Ajay Johal
Investment Manager
Graduated from the University of Warwick with a degree in history and sociology and worked at Barclays Wealth before joining Ruffer in 2014. In 2019, he worked as an equity analyst in Ruffer’s Hong Kong office, before returning to the charities team in London as an Investment Manager. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment.
CONTACT US
If you would like to know more about Ruffer’s investment approach and the services we offer to charities, please contact
Christopher Querée
cqueree@ruffer.co.uk
+44 (0)20 7963 8110
Alternatively, please sign up to our charities mailing list to receive information and event invitations about investing for charities.