Weatherbys develops discretionary service with ARC

Weatherbys Private Bank has launched a discretionary investment management service, which has been developed with Asset Risk Consultants (ARC).

The service went live this week and is being offered to both the family-owned private bank’s existing clients and outside investors.

It comprises four risk-based portfolios, ranging from cautious to growth, which will be run as funds of funds.
All of the underlying holdings will be overseen by third-party fund managers.

Guernsey-based ARC has been retained to provide consultancy on risk profiling, portfolio structuring, manager selection and ongoing performance monitoring.

This will form one of the three pillars of the private banks’ triple-pronged investment approach. The other pillars will be internal research by the groups financial planning and banking teams and an independent investment committee chaired by Roger Weatherby (pictured), the private banks’ eponymous chief executive.

Weatherby stressed the funds will be managed in keeping with the company’s conservative traditions and will be ‘cautious’, with a focus on ‘protection, security and safety’.

‘The service is driven by what the client needs and what is available in the market,’ Weatherby said. ‘We are completely independent from the fund provider. Our selection process is robust, straightforward and risk-based, which is particularly important given what has happened over the past three years.’

The investment service will be run by director Roddy Buchanan, who joined the firm from Ansbacher, where he spent seven years as head of wealth management.

‘We believe we have put together a very distinctive service,’ he said. ‘We are pleased to be working with ARC. We have focused very much on understanding the clients’ needs to ensure that we are clear about what they want, what volatility they are prepared to accept and the return they are seeking.’

The discretionary fund management service further broadens Weatherbys’ client proposition, which also includes financial planning, private banking and tax planning. Founded in 1770, it is the official bank of the British Horseracing Authority, which means it holds and dispenses all prize money in the sport and it also runs the official UK and Ireland stud book, which details the breeding of all thoroughbred horses dating back to 1790.