Andrew Watkins

Chairman

Andrew has over 30 years’ experience in the investment companies sector in senior sales and client relations positions with Robert Fleming, Jupiter and Invesco Perpetual, retiring from full-time employment in June 2017. He is a current non-executive director of BMO UK High Income Trust plc, Chelverton UK Dividend Trust plc, Baillie Gifford European Growth Trust plc and Consistent Unit Trust Management Company Limited.

Dr. Jerome Booth

Chair of the Nomination Committee

Dr. Jerome Booth is a well-known economist and leading expert on emerging markets. Jerome has a D.Phil and an M.Phil in Economics from the University of Oxford as well as a B.Sc in Geography from the University of Bristol. In 2013, Jerome retired from Ashmore Group, a world leading emerging markets asset management group that he helped establish in 1999 in a management buyout from ANZ Bank. Prior to ANZ, he worked in the Strategic Planning unit of the Inter-American Development Bank from 1991 to 1994 in Washington, D.C. Prior to this, Jerome had appointments as a Lecturer in Economics at Christ Church, Oxford, a consultancy business advising on aid issues, and a position in the mid-1980s in Her Majesty’s Department of Trade and Industry.

Jerome is Chairman of the Britten Sinfonia and sits on the board of the Royal Philharmonic Society. He also sits on the Board of Trustees of the Global Warming Policy Foundation. He previously served as Chairman of the Governing Board of Anglia Ruskin University, retiring from this position on 31 July 2020.

Jamie Skinner

Chair Of The Audit Committee

Jamie Skinner is a qualified accountant and a fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment. Jamie joined Cazenove & Co in 1989 as a corporate finance executive working principally on investment companies and also other sector IPO activity, and in 1995 he was appointed Managing Director of the Johannesburg office. In 1999 Jamie joined Martin Currie Investment Management limited as a director and in 2014 was appointed Head of Client Services. Jamie retired from Martin Currie at the end of July 2018. Jamie served as President and CEO of The China Fund, Inc. until 2012, President and CEO of The Taiwan Fund, Inc. until 2014 and President of the Martin Currie Business Trust until 2015. Jamie was appointed to the board of Martin Currie, Inc. in March 2013 and to the board of the Martin Currie Japan Absolute Return Fund in January 2016, retiring from these roles on 17 May 2018 and 10 May 2018 respectively. Jamie is currently a non-executive director of Ediston Property Investment Company plc, the Asian Opportunities Absolute Return Fund Limited and Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon plc.

Rita Dhut

Chair of the Management Engagement Committee

Rita Dhut has over 25 years of varied investment experience having gained industry recognition and multiple awards during her fund management career. In 1994 she joined M&G Investment Management as UK Equity Fund Manager before being appointed Director of European Equities. In 2001 she joined Aviva Investors, was appointed Head of European Equities in 2004 and in 2006 became Head of UK & European Equity for value based investment responsible for over £6 billion of equity funds. Rita left Aviva Investors in 2012 to set up her own company, Practical Dialogue Ltd, to work with investment boards and fund managers on oversight and risk management of funds. Rita is now an active investor in, and advisor to, early stage companies, holding several board positions. She is on the investment committee for Newable’s range of Scale Up funds investing in this area. She also is a non-executive director of JP Morgan European Investment Trust plc.

Rita has pursued other personal interests close to her heart and is currently a Member of Council, a Member of the Investment and Audit committees for the Girls’ Day School Trust and a Trustee of the charity All Change. She is an associate of the CFA Institute and a graduate of City University, London.