The Team
Alastair Smith – Managing Partner
Direct: 0203 0084911
alastair.smith@frostrow.com
Alastair has over ten years experience within the investment company sector. In 2000 he was appointed as Managing Director of Close Finsbury Asset Management Ltd. (now Close Investments Ltd.), part of the Close Brothers Group plc. There he had responsibility for five investment trusts and a range of Dublin-domiciled open ended funds. Prior to that, he spent 3 years at Schroder Investment Management Ltd. as Head of Investment Trust Operations and was responsible for 8 investment trusts. Alastair qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG in 1989 and worked in the London and Hong Kong offices between 1990 and 1997. He was educated at Sedbergh School and Newcastle University.
Grant Challis – Partner
Direct: 0203 0084912
grant.challis@frostrow.com
Grant joined the Investment Trust team at Close Finsbury Asset Management Ltd. in 2006 as the Director of Business Development, having been a consultant to the team since 2004. Prior to founding a specialist financial services consultancy in 2001, Grant spent 3 years as a management consultant at KPMG Consulting. Before that, he was a corporate financier at Guinness Mahon & Co. Ltd. (now part of Investec Plc) and subsequently at Charterhouse Tilney (acquired by ING Baring in 2000). Grant was educated at Stellenbosch and Oxford Universities.
Tracy Arthur – Partner
Direct: 0203 0084914
tracy.arthur@frostrow.com
Tracy joined the Investment Management division of Rea Brothers Group Plc in 1998, just prior to the acquisition by Close Brothers Group Plc in 1999. She has held various roles including Senior Investment Fund Accountant and Senior Manager, Operations.Prior to that, Tracy spent two years as Assistant Financial Controller at Tertio Ltd, an information technology consultancy. A qualified accountant, ( FCCA), Tracy also holds the IMC (Investment Management Certificate) and IAQ (Investment Administration Qualification) qualifications and has an MBA.
Mark Pope – Partner
Direct: 0203 0084913
mark.pope@frostrow.com
Mark joined Close Finsbury Asset Management Ltd. in 2006 and was part of the Company Secretarial team responsible for five investment trusts. Mark spent over 20 years at Morgan Grenfell (acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1989) and for the last 12 of those years, he acted as Company Secretary for three investment trusts. Prior to that, his roles included foreign exchange dealing for asset management clients and portfolio administration. Mark commenced his career spending 5 years at Lloyds TSB. Mark is a chartered company secretary and holds the ACIS qualification.
Eleanor Cranmer – Partner
Direct: 0203 0084613
eleanor.cranmer@frostrow.com
Eleanor joined Frostrow in January 2011 and has been involved with investment companies for over 20 years. From 2003 she worked for AXA Investment Managers, eventually becoming responsible for the company secretarial functions for all the UK companies in the AXA Investment Managers group as well as AXA Framlington’s range of investment trusts. Prior to that she was at Govett Investment Management for 11 years and was head of the company secretarial department from 1996. Eleanor spent 9 years with Ernst & Young and qualified as a chartered accountant in 1985. During her time there she managed the audits for a range of clients, including a number of investment trusts. Eleanor read Classics at Trinity College, Cambridge.