A new Raymond James branch is opening in Whiteley, Southampton. The office will be led by experienced wealth managers Robert Hale and Rob Carroll, who share over 50 years of investment experience between them.
The new branch will offer Discretionary Portfolio Management, with specific expertise in direct equities and collective funds, as well as a new investment philosophy. When offering bespoke portfolios to help meet individual client investment objectives, it will also focus on quantitative and momentum-based research at a fund, sector and stock level, to help it align with broader macroeconomic strategy. The branch will offer its services throughout the UK.
Rob Carroll joins Raymond James from Brewin Dolphin, where he was Head of Bournemouth and Lymington offices. Starting his career in local government and marketing, Rob moved into investment after accepting a marketing position within a local IFA in 1994, before establishing his own practice in 1997.
Hale was the joint Branch Principal of the Raymond James Solent branch for two years, before deciding to take on a new venture with the Whiteley branch in 2018. He joined Raymond James from Charles Stanley in 2016, where he worked as an Investment Manager since 1995. Robert started his career at Neilson Cobbold.
The new branch will provide clients with a visibly proactive approach to portfolio management. It aims to care for and service its clients as individuals, with the recruitment of like-minded forward-thinking investment professionals a priority in its growth strategy.
Hale says: “Having made the move to Raymond James in 2016, I was aware of the structure they had put in place to help enable investment managers to run a truly independent practice, with just the right levels of support and professionalism. It gave Rob and I the confidence to pursue our ambitions of opening an office with no model portfolios and a unique investment process centred around detailed market analysis.”
Carroll adds: “Raymond James is providing the core services that will enable us to meet our regulatory obligations, but also provides us with the flexibility necessary to develop our business as the industry evolves.”
“The efficient use of technology is at the centre of our investment proposition. Analysis that would have taken days to complete, now takes seconds to produce and interpret, and we wanted to act on this. Having the opportunity to develop our new approach to portfolio investment as a result, while having the support of a large organisation such as Raymond James, will help us service clients to the best of our ability.”
Anthony Scott, Head of Business Development at Raymond James says: “We are extremely pleased to be able to support Robert and Rob in their new venture. As individuals they both have an impressive amount of experience in managing portfolios. Combined with our technology and tools, we are confident the business will flourish. We look forward to supporting the growth of the branch.”
