interactive investor makes two high-profile appointments

We enhance investment governance with the appointments of Merryn Somerset Webb and Charles Cade.

interactive investor, the UK’s second largest direct-to-consumer investment platform, has made two high-profile investment committee appointments.

Merryn Somerset Webb has joined ii’s Board Investment Governance Committee, while Charles Cade has joined the Executive Investment Selection Committee as an independent member. Each will complement ii’s in house expertise, bring additional challenge and inject outside thinking.

Merryn Somerset Webb is editor in chief of MoneyWeek and a prominent columnist for the Financial Times and Saga magazine. She is also a non-executive director of three investment trusts: Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon; Montanaro European Smaller Companies and Murray Income as well as wealth management firm Netwealth. 

Charles Cade was previously Head of Investment Companies (ICs) Research at Numis Securities. He retired from broking at the end of September 2019 following a 25-year career in listed funds.

Ranked among the leading analysts throughout his career, Charles previously held roles as Head of Investment Companies Research at Winterflood Securities and as a Director of Research at Merrill Lynch. Charles joined the City following an MBA, having previously worked for a consultancy firm and as an economist in the UK government. 

Richard Wilson, CEO of interactive investor, says: “I’m delighted to welcome Merryn and Charles. Merryn needs no introduction. A respected commentator on economics, financial markets and personal finance, Merryn brings a wealth of market experience and knowledge. She will bring additional oversight and challenge to a committee, which is otherwise made up entirely of ii non-executive directors.

“Charles is renowned in the industry and his extensive experience in investment company research makes him an excellent addition to the Investment Selection Committee. Like our customers, we are huge fans of investment trusts, and have never shied away from recommending them. We are delighted to bolster our investment trust expertise further with this appointment.”

Merryn Somerset Webb says: “I am very pleased to be joining interactive investor’s Investment Governance Committee. A huge number of people have started investing for themselves over the last few years (and the past year in particular). That has put the way in which providers of investment services operate firmly in the spotlight - and should, I think, remind us that platforms such as ii have an enormous duty of care to customers. I look forward to holding ii to account.” 

Charles Cade says: “I’m thrilled to join interactive investor. After decades working as an investment company analyst, I look forward to putting my experience to use for the benefit of consumers. I have been following ii with interest after an exciting couple of years, from the launch of Super 60 two years ago and its ethical ACE 40 rated list little over a year ago – as well as the Quick Start range and ready-made portfolios. There’s a lot to do and I look forward to playing my part.”

The role of the Board Investment Governance Committee is to oversee the governance of the group’s objectives as they relate to investment research, recommendation decision-making and the provision of investment solutions.

The role of the Executive Investment Selection Committee is to oversee the way in which all of the firm’s research recommendations are researched, compiled, monitored, maintained and presented to customers.