The WAY 'Star Chamber'

Introduction

The Star Chamber (Latin: camera stellata) was an English court of law that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster until 1641. It was comprised of Privy Counsellors and common-law judges, and supplemented the activities of the common-law and equity courts in both civil and criminal matters. The court was set up to ensure the fair enforcement of laws against prominent people, those so powerful that ordinary courts could never convict them of their crimes. Court sessions were held in secret, with no indictments, no right of appeal, no juries, and no witnesses. Evidence was presented in writing. Over time it evolved into a political weapon and became a symbol of the misuse and abuse of power by the English monarchy and courts... In modern usage, legal or administrative bodies with strict, arbitrary rulings and secretive proceedings are sometimes called, metaphorically or poetically, star chambers. (Source: Wikipedia, November 2009)

Unlike the medieval Star Chamber, which became an instrument of taxation under Henry VII, and a symbol of arbitrary justice under the Stuarts, the WAY 'Star Chamber' is a force for good. It follows many of the principles of the original such as being held in secret, with no witnesses, no published minutes and no published quotes.

The WAY Star Chamber has '8 wise men' as members and operates in a confidential manner existing for the benefit of its own members. It offers the opportunity for open debate with private and unreported discussions among 8 independently-minded peers about a subject that they all share a passion for - and to do so on a regular monthly basis (thereby getting to know each other well in the process). It is quite different to members having their own internal company meetings where their corporate culture, approach, processes and experiences may dominate.

Membership List

WAY does not publish any detail directly from the Chamber and nor does it market anything other than its existence or that it operates in a confidential manner with no published minutes or opinions given. It is an internal mechanism, the sole purpose of which is to add substantial value to: WAY's investment process . The current members of the Star Chamber are:

Jason Britton

An Oxford mathematics graduate and ACA with over 15 years experience in the financial services industry. He worked with T. Bailey funds from their launch in 1999 and rose to be Chief Investment Officer. Jason has an enviable track record for spotting new and exciting funds ahead of the pack and has a reputation for being a successful conviction investor. He is now an independent consultant.

Dan Bunting

With over 30 years of experience as a senior stock analyst and market commentator, Dan has a track record of identifying value and opportunity across the investment spectrum but with a special interest in FTSE 250 shares. He has worked in senior positions within Chase Manhattan, Scrimgeour Vickers and Matheson amongst others until 2007, subsequently concentrating on publishing his own market commentaries and providing specialist analytical services to major clients.

Trevor Chanter

Spent more than 20 years in private client portfolio management at Charles Stanley stockbrokers, NatWest Private Clients and Collins Stewart, both managing teams and personally conducting the investment management of individual portfolios ranging up to £50m in assets. Trevor has spent the last four years at FundQuest (formerly IMS) where he had particular responsibility for family offices and institutional clients before recently taking up the position of CIO of WAY Investment Managers.

Peter Chesterfield

Was originally a geologist and then a mining analyst. From there he went into managing long-only Asian equities in the award winning Asian Pacific Trust at Abbey Unit Trust Managers in the late 1980s. In 1999 Peter co-founded Wessex Asset Management which has acquired a well deserved reputation within the Asian and Natural resources sectors, where he and his colleagues use hedge style techniques to smooth returns in these volatile areas.

Roderick Collins

A founding partner of Hasley, Roderick has held senior positions in asset management companies within NM Rothschild, James Capel and Jardine Matheson. He sits on the board of an investment trust managed by JP Morgan and on the investment committee of a medical charity. Throughout an investment career spanning more than three decades, Roderick has developed a dislike to 'unnecessary' volatility and specialises in risk control.

John Husselbee

Started his career at Rothschilds in the mid 1980s and for more than 20 years of the intervening period has specialised in multimanager investment. Before launching North in 2005, John was the Director of Multi Manager Investment at Henderson Global Investors and prior to that headed up Rothschild's Multi Manager business. John is a well-respected commentator within the industry.

Paul Wilcox

Was managing discretionary portfolios from the 1970s through until the 1990s. In 1991 he established three of the first 'third party' fund of funds unit trusts, winning the Micropal One Year Fund Of Funds award in 1992 and coming in second in 1993. He co-founded the WAY Group in 1996, remains Chairman, and has become a well know commentator on both investment matters and the vagaries of Inheritance Tax.

Ian Williams

Over a career so far spanning more than 25 years, Ian has moved from high end stockbroking through to fund management with firms such as Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and eventually into establishing his own firm, Charteris Treasury Managers. Since launch in December 2006, his City Financial Gilt Fund is the best performing UK Gilt fund in its sector (Source: Lipper and Morningstar), whilst his Elite Charteris Premium Growth Fund is 4-star rated by Morningstar and currently A-rated by Citywire. He is a versatile manager with interests across the sectors, including gold.

Associated Links:

Details of WAY's: Star Chamber

Details of WAY's: Star Chamber Membership