Alex Denny and Gordon Humphries elected to AIC board

The membership of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) has elected Alex Denny and Gordon Humphries to the board of the AIC. Their appointments took effect following the AIC’s annual general meeting today.

In addition, Peter Niven, Deputy Chair of the AIC, Susie Farnon and Patrick Reeve have been re-elected to the AIC board.

Rachel Beagles (former AIC Chair) and William Hemmings (former AIC Deputy Chair) have retired from the board.

Elisabeth Scott, Chair of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), said: “I would like to warmly welcome Alex Denny and Gordon Humphries to the AIC board. Alex’s considerable management group experience at Fidelity International and Gordon’s extensive knowledge of VCTs and investment companies will be invaluable. They both bring a wealth of enthusiasm for investment companies and I very much look forward to working with them.

“As Rachel Beagles and William Hemmings retire from the board, I would like to thank them for the significant contribution they have made to the AIC and the industry.”

Alex Denny, Non-Executive Director of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), said: “As a millennial professional (still a little shy of 40 years old), I am passionate about investment companies and sit squarely in the target retail demographic of many AIC members. Investment companies have always found ways to evolve and stay important for investors and I believe this flexibility is the industry’s greatest opportunity. I want to ensure investment companies remain competitive and relevant to all investors.”

Gordon Humphries, Non-Executive Director of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), said: “Investment companies have been in my blood since I joined the industry in 1988 and it is a privilege to join the AIC board. Being a director of VCTs and having launched one of the first VCTs, I particularly look forward to contributing to the AIC’s work in this area. The AIC has made great progress in promoting the industry to retail investors, advisers and wealth managers and I look forward to the next steps.”

Alex Denny is Head of Investment Companies at Fidelity International and became involved with investment companies in 2011. Alex is a trustee of the FIL UK Pension plan with member assets of around £650 million. He is also a director and trustee of two charities, the Nautical Archaeological Society and MARINElife.

Gordon Humphries is a director of Foresight VCT, Maven Income & Growth VCT 5 and JPMorgan UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust. He was Investment Director, Head of Investment Companies at Standard Life Investments and prior to this was Joint Head of Investment Trusts at F&C Asset Management. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1987 and was a member of the ICAS Audit and Assurance Committee from 2005 to 2015.

-ENDS-

Follow us on Twitter @AICPRESS

Notes to editors

1. The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) was founded in 1932 to represent the interests of the investment trust industry – the oldest form of collective investment.  Today, the AIC represents a broad range of closed-ended investment companies, incorporating investment trusts and other closed-ended investment companies and VCTs. The AIC’s members believe that the industry is best served if it is united and speaks with one voice. The AIC’s mission statement is to help members add value for shareholders over the longer term. The AIC has 360 members and the industry has total assets of approximately £278 billion.
2. Disclaimer: The information contained in this press release does not constitute investment advice or personal recommendation and it is not an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity. You should seek independent financial and, if appropriate, legal advice as to the suitability of any investment decision. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.  The value of investment company shares, and the income from them, can fall as well as rise.  You may not get back the full amount invested and, in some cases, nothing at all.
3. To stop receiving AIC press releases, please contact the communications team.