Meet the team
Get to know the professionals in our investment team and our board of directors
Bruce Stout
Co-Manager
Bruce Stout is a senior investment manager on the Global equities team. Bruce joined the company in 1987 via the acquisition of Murray Johnstone. Bruce has held a number of roles including investment manager on the emerging markets team. Bruce graduated with a BA in Economics from the University of Strathclyde and completed a graduate training course with General Electric Company UK.
Martin Connaghan
Co-Manager
Martin joined Glasgow based investment firm Murray Johnstone in 1998 and abrdn via the acquisition of Murray Johnstone in 2001. Martin has held a number of roles including Dealer, ESG Analyst and Credit Analyst however he has been focused on the management of Global Equity and Income mandates for the last 17 years. Martin has been part of the fund management team of Murray International Trust since 2017.
Samantha Fitzpatrick
Co-Manager
Samantha is an Investment Director on the Global Equity Team at abrdn. Samantha joined the company in 2001 via the acquisition of Murray Johnstone where she was a Performance and Risk Analyst. Samantha has been involved in the management of global equity portfolios for the last fifteen years. She has a BSC (Hons) degree in Mathematics from the University of Strathclyde and is a CFA Charter holder.
David Hardie
Chairman
David is a corporate lawyer by background and was formerly a partner of UK law firm, Dundas & Wilson (now part of CMS), where he was a partner for over 30 years and where he held various positions including head of corporate, managing partner and chairman. David is also non-executive chairman of WNL Investments Limited.
Claire Binyon
Independent Non-Executive Director
Claire is a chartered accountant who, following an early career in the City, held senior corporate development and strategic planning roles with global multinational businesses including inBev, Cadbury, DS Smith and Fenner (a Michelin group company). She is a non-executive director of JPMorgan American Investment Trust PLC and IG Design Group plc.
Wendy Colquhoun
Independent Non-Executive Director
Wendy is a qualified solicitor and was, until May 2020, a partner at international law firm CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP. She has advised investment trust boards for over 25 years on advisory and transactional matters. She is a non-executive director of Capital Gearing Trust PLC and Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund plc and chair of Henderson Opportunities Trust plc.
Gregory Eckersley
Independent Non-Executive Director
Greg is an experienced equity investor with a professional executive career in a mix of leadership and asset management roles. Having begun his investment career at Cigna International Investment Limited, he gained international experience at Draycott Partners, Alliance Capital, and Alliance Bernstein, managing, and overseeing teams investing in emerging market and global portfolios before accepting the role of global head of internal equities at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). After six years with ADIA, he returned to the UK in 2019 to run his own consultancy, Ecko Limited, offering strategic advice to small and early stage businesses.
Virginia Holmes
Independent Non-Executive Director
Virginia is the former CEO of AXA Investment Managers Limited and brings significant senior asset management expertise and experience to the Board. She is currently Senior Independent Director at both Syncona Limited and European Opportunities Trust PLC and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at Intermediate Capital Group plc. She is a current and past Chair and trustee of a number of pension funds and was previously a founder director of the Investment Forum.
Alexandra Mackesy
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
Alexandra is a former equity analyst, having spent the majority of her executive career in Asia with SBC Warburg, JP Morgan and Credit Suisse. She has some 18 years of experience as a director of UK listed investment trusts and is currently chairman of JPMorgan China Growth & Income Trust plc and a non-executive director of The Henderson Smaller Companies Trust plc. She is also a director of Board Level Partners Ltd, which provides board advisory services.
Nicholas Melhuish
Independent Non-Executive Director
Nicholas joined Corpus Christi College, Oxford as Fellow and Bursar in 2018 following a portfolio management career most recently as Head of Global Equities at Amundi SA. He is a non executive director of JPMorgan Claverhouse Investment Trust PLC, a trustee of the Trusthouse Charitable Foundation and a director and trustee of The London Clinic. He also lectures at the Saïd Business School at Oxford University on Asset Management.