In his new role, James Chirnside will be responsible for expanding the product suite of the company, which was started by ex-stockbroker Rene Rivkin in 1997 to house managed versions of its current local and global investment capabilities.
“Over the years we’ve received a steady stream of requests from existing members to create a managed fund product that mirrored the investment philosophy of Rivkin Local, our general advice local equities product,” said Rivkin chief executive Scott Schuberg.
“Rivkin has always been an ambassador for the DIY direct investor. However, it is difficult to say ‘no’ to those members who love our products but don’t have the time or inclination to manage their own portfolios.”
“We’d prefer to cater for those members by offering them a managed solution.”
Mr Chirnside has previously worked as a hedge fund and long only equities manager in Sydney, Hong Kong and London.
He currently holds directorships on the board of Cadence Capital Ltd, WAM Capital Ltd and Mercantile Investments Ltd.
Rivkin said that expanding its product suite to include managed funds is a natural progression and that Mr Chirnside will be “instrumental” in adding to its investment team.
“Rivkin’s local investment process uses three strategies to provide a blend of enhanced market returns, yield and returns that are not highly correlated with market movements,” Mr Schuberg said.
“We do this by employing event-driven methods of investing, the management of high-yielding ASX-listed securities and a systematic blue chip strategy.
“Our track record of performance is measured using a live model portfolio, so the transition to a managed fund is a very natural extension of what we’re already doing.”
