Part of the Hawksmoor Group
Part of the Hawksmoor Group
A quick Q&A with Investment Manager, Scott Wallis.
Tell us a bit about yourself…
I joined GBIM on a permanent basis in June 2021, having previously been an intern here and after spending 3 years in London with another wealth management firm, Saunderson House. I live in Bristol with my partner Emma, who is a 2nd year medicine student at Bristol University
What do get up to in your spare time?
I love to be active and enjoy going to the gym and playing a variety of different sports. However, my main passion is sailing and the majority of my weekends and holidays are spent racing dinghies and keelboats. I started sailing at a very young age and began racing in the ‘Optimist’ class from age 7 before moving into the ‘420’ class at age 14. When I went off to University, I got heavily involved in another format of sailing called Team Racing which is very fast paced and great fun. I continue to compete in Team Racing competitions, now with my team from the Royal Thames Yacht Club. More recently, Emma and I have started racing together in the ‘RS200’ class (see picture), which is extremely competitive but also very sociable.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
I’ve always loved watching the David Attenborough nature documentaries and I find the underwater scenes particularly fascinating. I therefore strongly considered marine biology as a career path when I was younger and did some work experience in the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. I’m not sure what made me go down the investment route in the end but snorkeling on holiday will have to suffice for now!
Who would you say is someone who has inspired you in your life?
Tough question, I wouldn’t say a single person has inspired me. I am obviously very grateful for all the support I receive from my family and friends, but I would say I draw inspiration from people I meet. People that are happy in life are not necessarily overly wealthy or talented at a specific thing. As a child I used to read a story that was on the wall of my dentist’s waiting room called ‘Rock, Pebbles and Sand’. If you have not come across this story before I would highly recommend – a simple concept but one that I think is key to happiness.
What did you do before investment management?
I studied Economics and Finance at the University of Exeter from 2014-2017, and after the internship with GBIM, I spent 3 years in London with Saunderson House. I worked in one of the client teams, helping individuals, families and trusts with both financial planning and investment management advice. I completed my CII Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning in 2021, which has given me detailed knowledge across the many different areas of private client wealth management.
What made you make the switch from financial advice into investment management?
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Saunderson House and learning about financial planning, though I found the investment management side particularly interesting, and I knew that this was the route that I wanted to take my career down. I enjoy tracking how real-world events impact stock markets and trying to take advantage of longer term structural changes, such as the ongoing energy transition towards renewable power. I was keen to continue working with private clients and joining GBIM, as a discretionary fund manager, allowed me to continue private client work whilst specialising in investment management.
What do you enjoy most about working at GBIM?
Well firstly, I have been made to feel very welcome in my first few months at GBIM thanks to my wonderful colleagues. As a small company, the variety of work at GBIM means every day is different and allows me to get involved in many different areas of the business from investment research to marketing, alongside the everyday portfolio management work. Investment managers at GBIM are handed a great deal of responsibility and autonomy in the way they manage client portfolios, and this lends itself to greater learning and challenge, and ultimately better outcomes for our clients. The smaller size also creates a family feel to the company, with everyone’s efforts making a real difference to GBIM and our clients.
