David Scrivens - Co-Founder and Director, Amberside Capital
David founded Amberside Capital with David Lomas. Prior to Amberside, David co-founded execution only brokerage firm Clubfinance in 2002 which he sold to Wealth Club in 2018. David co-founded the advisory and financial modelling boutique, Amberside Advisors in 2004. David has an MSc in Management Science and Operational Research and a BSc in Economics, both from Warwick University. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants for England & Wales and a London Liveryman.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your role?
Seeing entrepreneurs realise their goals. It is very rewarding to go on a journey with people with vision and drive and to assist in helping them achieve.
What piece of technology offers the most support in your job?
It is actually a piece of software called Excel. I use this to forecast companies’ performance and hold them to account based on what they said they would do at the outset. Using Excel to understand trends and patterns in sales and costs really helps understand the drivers of business and provides quantitative challenges to management.
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“We treat retail client money with the same respect and diligence that we would money from institutional investors.”
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What makes your firm stand out?
Rigorous process and genuine ethics. We treat retail client money with the same respect and diligence that we would money from institutional investors. We are also signatories to the Principles of Responsible Investment. If our investments can make a real impact either socially and/or environmentally while not compromising returns we believe this is a win-win.
What are three areas of focus for your firm this year?
- We want to grow in the horticultural sector and become a premier agricultural investor.
- We aim to gain a pre-eminent reputation for high quality EIS opportunities.
- We want to be seen to deliver on our promises.
What's one thing you'd like to change about the sector?
More accountability and transparency from managers to IFAs and Wealth Managers. There should be the ability in the market for managers to be replaced if they do not do what they said they would do, either through not following procedures or making investments against the stated strategy of a fund.
What are the three things you look for when investing in a business?
- A competent and highly motivated leadership team.
- A product or service that has clear demonstrable demand.
- A well thought out business plan which includes an exit strategy.
What is the best piece of advice you've taken?
From my days as an auditor I was taught to never believe what you are being told; always check genuine evidence.
What character trait(s) help you succeed in your role?
Healthy scepticism, being pragmatic in difficult situations and being fair.
People Behind the Product is an interview series produced by CoInvestor highlighting the key people behind the wide range of tax-efficient investment funds you can find on our platform. By showcasing the fund managers behind the product, we aim to provide greater insight to the expertise in the market and in doing so, help advisers and investors learn more about the tax-efficient sector.
If you are interested in participating in the series, or would like to find out more, get in touch with Jessica at jessica.baker@coinvestor.co.uk.
About Amberside Capital
Amberside Capital is the retail fund management arm of the Amberside Group.
Amberside Capital sources, structures and evaluates investment opportunities to suit the requirements of our investment partners. The organisation builds on the experience of its founders in the infrastructure and renewable energy sectors, and has partnered up with experts in their fields to bring an experienced and credible team together for Investors across the full suite of offerings.
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