Biography
James Ayling, CFA initially joined JM Finn in 2019 and in 2023 after re-joining, he moved across to the Investment Management side of the business to focus on managing portfolios for private clients, trusts and charities.
Previously James worked in JM Finn’s Equity Research team which is responsible for UK and overseas equity coverage. In Research, James headed up the firm’s Asset Allocation committee and remains a core member of the firm’s Stock Selection committee.
Prior to joining JM Finn, James worked in venture capital, investing in early stage mobility and travel companies including Voyage, an autonomous vehicle company [acquired by Cruise], Festicket, a live music festival booking platform and Validated, a mobility credit issuance platform [acquired by Reach Now].
Before this, James was a member of BlackRock's Multi-Asset Strategies (MAS) group which is responsible for developing, assembling and managing investment strategies focused on benchmark-relative and outcome-orientated client objectives. James earned a BSc (Hons) Economics from the University of Bath and as part of his degree, James completed an industrial placement at UBS Global Asset Management’s Multi-Asset group.
Outside of work, James lives in Surrey with his wife and young son. He likes to keep fit and healthy and, enjoys cooking for family and friends. James is also an active volunteer for Crosslight Advice, an independent charity focused on alleviating poverty caused by problem debt.
Media commentators have repeatedly remarked on the impending ‘death of the high street’, threatened by the apparent unrelenting rise of the internet and online stores.
Financial theory and countless financial textbooks outline how fixed income investments are traditionally considered, in aggregate, to be a lower risk asset class than equities.
Recently I travelled to San Francisco and Seattle on a US company roadshow.