JM Finn & Co’s origins

The origins of JM Finn & Co are with the commodity brokerage of our founder, John Finn (pictured right), whose company Sanday & Co traded on the Baltic Exchange, principally in cereals and cotton before the Second World War.

The business thrived and until the War was looking for further expansion beyond its New York, Liverpool and Paris offices. The War however dramatically changed John's plans. During those years he had headed the Department within the Ministry of Food responsible for grain purchases, which he did with great success.

He was a born trader, and the great New York speculator Jess Livermore considered him one of the finest he had known. John was extremely proud of that. After the War however John decided the future for commodities was less promising and he took over the small stockbroking firm of Kenneth Carr, eventually renaming it J. M. Finn & Co. in 1949.

As well as being a born and highly skilled trader, one of John's other great qualities was the recognition of talent in others. He strongly believed in nurturing the good qualities of individuals rather than disparaging their weaknesses and this was to benefit the firm enormously

It produced a group of talented, interesting and indeed idiosyncratic partners whose contributions were diverse but were to the benefit of the firm and generally stimulating.

The most notable example was John's successor as Senior Partner, Peter Freeman, who co-founded the European Society of Investment Analysts and developed a large institutional business in Paris. His contribution to the French financial community was recognised by the French Government, with the awards of the Order of Merit and the Legion D'Honneur.