Family Office Feature: In Conversation With Diane Seymour-Williams

In conversation with Diane Seymour-Williams, Partner at Acorn Capital Advisers, our UK Director Robert Moore discusses investment committees and their value within the family office space.

6 October 2021

"An experienced, well-resourced investment committee adds value by strengthening governance to protect and enhance a family’s wealth "

What are the key responsibilities for an investment committee?

"First and foremost, an investment committee must understand the family’s needs and aspirations.

In your experience, what are the key challenges and what makes for a successful investment committee?

"The transition from the traditional ‘60-40’ equity and bond investment model towards greater asset diversification is a key challenge for investment committees.

First, all decisions may be outsourced, for example to a single multi-asset manager. This makes a committee’s life easier, provided investment returns are not compromised

An out-sourced CIO or investment consultant advises on strategic asset allocation and manager selection. Or,

For larger funds, an in-house CIO may drive investment decisions, including manager selection, with challenge and ratification from the investment committee. Using multiple specialist managers can add value within defined investment universes. However, this approach usually places a greater burden on an investment committee, particularly if they deploy asset allocation in a tactical way

What constitutes a good investment committee member?

Diane Seymour-WilliamsPartner at Acorn Capital Advisors,

Diane is a founding partner of Acorn Capital Advisers. She has broad experience across the investment management industry as a leader and practitioner, initially as a portfolio manager and CIO and, subsequently as a CEO and in client focused roles. Diane has chaired Investment, Risk and ESG committees. Diane has considerable international experience across Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America, including global boutique and start-up businesses. She is a non executive director of Mercia Asset Management Plc, SEI Investments (Europe) Ltd, PraxisIFM Group Limited and Standard Life Private Equity Trust Plc. Diane also sits on the Investment Committees of Newnham College Cambridge and the Canal & River Trust. She holds a degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge.