The Team

Kerr, with the help of Andrew Clifford, founded Platinum in 1994 with a view to making money for investors. The emphasis was on continuing the successful investment approach he had employed previously. This entailed building portfolios of misunderstood companies that were experiencing change or mispricing due to transient factors or intuitive biases applied by market participants at large. By investing in companies around the world, unconstrained by index weighting or other pre-determined allocation parameters, Platinum owned genuinely differentiated portfolios and produced outstanding investment returns.

From day one Kerr and the team eschewed the use of hard selling techniques, maintaining that if our performance can withstand the test of time, there should never be a need for such tactic; whereas, if Platinum fails to generate satisfactory returns for investors, then the firm should not continue. Prior success, notably, sidestepping the 1987 crash, ensured that from the outset there were willing investors prepared to give Kerr and his team sufficient support to gradually build the business and, fortunately, Platinum’s performance over the years has proven the longevity of our approach.

As Platinum’s investment philosophy and process became systematically inculcated within the team, Kerr stepped down as the Chief Investment Officer in 2013, and has over time handed over his various portfolio management responsibilities to other global portfolio managers in the team.

With the full endorsement of the Board, Kerr handed over the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Platinum Group to Andrew Clifford on 1 July 2018. Continuing to serve as a full-time executive director of the Platinum Group and a member of Platinum's investment team, Kerr remains fully engaged in the business and continues to work on the generation of investment ideas as well as provides additional support to the firm's client diversification initiatives in Europe and the US.

The benefits of Kerr’s endeavours over the decades are also being felt beyond Platinum’s investors as the Neilson Foundation pursues its mission of social inclusion.

Liam joined Platinum in 2014 as an investment analyst covering energy, resources and industrial companies. Previously, Liam worked at Macquarie Group as an equity analyst specialising in materials as well as in equity derivatives at Westpac. Prior to that, he had held a variety of engineering and commercial roles at BlueScope Steel and BHP Billiton.

Liam now leads the resources/industrials sector team at Platinum.

Alex is an industry veteran and a long-time member of the Platinum team. After graduating with a degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy’s financial capital, Alex began his professional career as an investment analyst at Istituto Mobiliare Italiano, where he progressed through various corporate finance and funds management roles.

Alex migrated to Australia in 1995 and worked as a manager in the corporate finance department at Coopers & Lyland before joining Platinum in 1998.

After spending five years honing his skills as an investment analyst with a focus on the telecommunications and IT sectors, Alex was appointed the portfolio manager of the Platinum International Technology Fund in 2003. He now co-manages the Technology Fund and continues to oversee the technology/communications sector team.

Cameron joined Platinum in 2010, having worked as an equity analyst at CP2 (formerly Capital Partners) for several years. At Platinum, he has covered a wide range of companies, initially focusing on resources and industrial companies, and later on the technology and communications sectors.

Cameron was appointed a co-manager of the Platinum International Technology Fund in early 2017 and is a member of the technology/communications sector team.

Kevin joined Platinum in 2011 as an investment analyst, having previously worked as a software engineer and business analyst in the biomedical, telecommunications and financial services industries.

Graduating as dux of Finance from university and a brief stint as an accountant at Grant Thornton gave Clay the grounding to deconstruct financial statements. But it is his avid reading habit and a curiosity about how businesses work that guided Clay onto the path of a self-taught investor and landed him a job as an analyst at Platinum in 2006.

Clay began managing the Platinum European Fund in 2009 and was assigned to manage the global portfolio of the Platinum Unhedged Fund in 2014. Clay took over from Kerr the portfolio management responsbilities for the Platinum Global Fund (mFund) and MLC Platinum Global Fund from 1 July 2018, and co-manages with Andrew Clifford the flagship Platinum International Fund, the Platinum International Fund (Quoted Managed Hedge Fund), and the Platinum World Portfolios - International Fund.

Clay leads the financials/services sector team.

Nik is our in-house economist. Before joining Platinum in 2006, Nik worked as an analyst at the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and Commonwealth Securities.

He is also our go-to person on all questions concerning European history and geopolitics.

Nik was appointed a co-manager of the Platinum European Fund in 2014 before becoming the sole manager in early 2017. He continues to cover the financials/services sector.

Jim joined Platinum as an investment analyst in 2016, having previously held a variety of roles in industry at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Capgemini Consulting, Caltex and the Commonwealth Bank. Raised in Canada, Jim gained international experience by living in Ireland and the Netherlands prior to relocating to Australia.

Jamie graduated from a Master of Laws in Commercial Law with first class Honours, but he had always had a more entrepreneurial bent and a keen interest in investing, preferring reading business books and company reports to legal journals and court cases. Working as a tax consultant at Deloitte gave him exposure to the challenges of company strategy and strengthened his resolve to become a professional investor.

Jamie joined Platinum in 2011 after spending several years as an equity analyst at CP2 (formerly Capital Partners). Jamie’s strong performance as an analyst covering consumer stocks around the world earned him portfolio management responsibilities within the Platinum International Brands Fund in 2016 before he took over as the sole portfolio manager in 2017.

Jamie leads the consumer sector team.

Jimmy joined Platinum in 2017 as an investment analyst. He was previously an equity analyst at BT Investment Solutions and had also worked as a senior analyst in the Markets and Research team there. Prior to Joining BT, Jimmy was an associate analyst and later a credit strategist at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.

At Platinum, Jimmy focuses on the consumer sector.

Molecular biology was Bianca’s first love before she discovered the joys and challenges of investing. After spending some time at Swiss pharmaceuticals company Novartis researching new HIV drugs (one of which has been approved and is in use today), Bianca went on to complete a PhD at UCL, investigating Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. She then migrated to Australia and joined Johnson & Johnson as a molecular biologist, researching new drug targets in oncology.

Bianca embarked on a career change in 2003 and joined Platinum as an investment analyst. Her rich knowledge base in molecular biology and first-hand insights into the pharmaceutical and biotech industry give her a unique ability to delve deeply into the fundamentals of healthcare companies and identify those with a solid foundation in scientific research.

Bianca has been the portfolio manager of the Platinum International Health Care Fund since 2007 and leads the healthcare sector team.

There is no mistaking Bianca's German-ness from her strong work ethics and meticulous attention to detail.

Toby was a member of the original Platinum team. He began his career as a graduate trainee at Bankers Trust in the early 1990s where his analytical acumen made a strong impression on Kerr.

As a founding member of Platinum’s investment team, Toby was responsible for covering European companies and supervised currency strategy.

Toby was the portfolio manager of the Platinum European Fund from the fund’s inception in 1998 until 2009 when he departed from the firm to live in Europe.

Toby re-joined Platinum in 2014 to assist with coverage of healthcare stocks while Bianca was on maternity leave. He has since stayed on as an analyst, working closely with Bianca on the healthcare sector.

Zoe joined Platinum in 2018 as an investment analyst, after having spent some time at Hunter Hall as an equity analyst. Prior to joining the investment management industry, Zoe worked at several global fashion houses, including Chanel in London, Boutique 1 in Dubai as well as Sass & Bide and David Jones in Sydney, gaining extensive experience in merchandising. At Platinum, Zoe focuses her research on the healthcare sector.

It has been many years since Joe last held a stethoscope and examined patients in a hospital, but what his early experience as a medical doctor left him with is a strong sense of professional duty.

Before joining Platinum in 2004, Joe worked as an equity research analyst at Morgan Stanley, with key responsibilities for healthcare and technology sectors. At Platinum, he initially covered companies in Greater China before broadening out to stock in other Asian countries. Joe was appointed a co-manager of the Platinum Asia Fund in 2011 before becoming the sole manager in late 2014. He has also been the portfolio manager of Platinum Asia Investments Limited, Platinum World Portfolios - Asia Fund and Platinum Asia Fund (Quoted Managed Hedge Fund) since their inception in 2015, 2015 and 2017 respectively.

A fluent speaker of both Mandarin and Cantonese, Joe has a deep appreciation of Chinese history and culture which enables him to confidently bridge the cultural gap when investing in the region.

Joe leads the Asia regional team.

Jack joined Platinum in 2010 as an investment analyst. He previously worked as a private equity investment professional with WH Soul Pattinson and, prior to that, he worked in corporate advisory, advising private equity funds on due diligence.

Jack covers companies in the Asia (ex-Japan) region. He is a fluent speaker of Mandarin and the cultural familiarity allows him an in-depth understanding of the trends and conditions in modern China.

Philip joined Platinum in 2009 as an investment analyst. Previously, Philip worked for Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley in the UK after graduating with double first class honours from the University of Cambridge.

At Platinum, Philip has covered multiple sectors globally, including financials, utilities, infrastructure, property & commercial services.  Philip is now part of the Asia team focusing more on emerging markets companies across all industries.

Nicholas joined Platinum in 2015 as an investment analyst in the Asia regional team. An electrical engineer by training, he previously worked at TransGrid for several years across a number of positions, including, most recently, as a senior analyst.

Proficient in Mandarin, Cantonese and Bahasa Malaysia, and having lived and studied in Asia, Nicholas is a perceptive observer of the social and economic changes taking place in the Asian region.

Alan joined Platinum in 2018 as an investment analyst in the Asia regional team, having completed an internship with Platinum with outstanding performance. Alan is fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese.

Scott was an engineer by training. Before joining Platinum in 2001, he had held a range of consulting and operational roles in the engineering and mining industries, including undertaking project management responsibilities on several significant assignments.

Scott has lived and worked in numerous countries around the world, including England, Indonesia and Jamaica, among others, but the unique cultural and industrial landscapes of Japan have always had a special appeal for him.

Scott left Platinum in 2007 to pursue other interests before returning in 2010. He was an analyst covering the resources and industrial sectors before being appointed the portfolio manager of the Platinum Japan Fund and The Platinum Japan Master Portfolio in 2014. He has also been the portfolio manager of the Platinum World Portfolios - Japan Fund since its inception in 2015.

Sava joined Platinum in 2015 as a quantitative analyst, having previously worked as an analyst in the Equities and Alternative Assets division of Challenger Limited.

At Platinum, Sava leads the team of quant analysts. His role is focused on providing quant and macro support to the investment team, which includes regularly contributing investment ideas by highlighting the interesting companies or sectors identified through quant tools.

Darren joined Platinum in 2009 as a quantitative analyst, having previously worked as a risk manager at global equity fund manager, Ellerston Capital. His experience also includes working as a trading system developer at Macquarie Bank ISD.

At Platinum, Darren’s role is to provide quant and macro support to the investment team, including monitoring global, regional and industry trends and contributing macroeconomic analysis.

James joined Platinum in 2018 as a quantitative analyst after completing his Masters of Commerce in Finance. Previously, James worked with Miracle Computers where he not only worked on the setting up and maintenance of private and corporate computer networks, but also managed sales, client servicing and other operational responsibilities.

At Platinum, James' role is to provide quant and macro support to the investment team.

Ricky joined Platinum’s investment team in 2004, having previously worked as an emerging markets trader at Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank in New York.

At Platinum, Ricky oversees the team of traders/dealers. His role includes executing market orders, monitoring market movements and sentiments, as well as working with the investment team on investment strategy and execution.

The dealer team plays an important role in helping the portfolio managers and analysts to better pinpoint opportunities in the market at any given time and highlighting the herding nature in stock markets.

Troy has been a trader in Platinum’s investment team since 2010. Before moving into the trader role, Troy had worked at Platinum for five years in both administrative and senior portfolio accounting roles, which equipped him with an understanding of the back-office functions and the importance of seamless interfacing between them and the front-office dealers and portfolio managers in ensuring error-free execution.

Troy’s current role includes executing market orders, monitoring market movements and sentiments, as well as working with the investment team on investment strategy and execution.