In early 2020, Philip Rodrigs announced the launch of his first investment firm, Raynar Portfolio Management, after working almost two decades in asset management and finding his niche in Smaller Company Funds.
Raynar Portfolio Management (RPM) takes a client-centered approach, with a dedicated mission to “search high and low for great investments”. The firm is committed to finding opportunities that best meet the needs of each client, recognizing that there are impressive investment opportunities across all markets. Rodrigs’ impetus for launching RPM was to ensure he built a firm based on ethical values and client trust.
When the Covid-19 global health pandemic hit just a month after launching his firm, Rodrigs was optimistic that the business model he built could withstand the crisis. Upon establishing company policies and guidelines, Rodrigs wanted to offer the option to be flexible. The company’s IT solutions have the ability to be completely remote, as it is quite common for professionals within the finance industry to work from home.
As the pandemic shut down offices around the world, Rodrigs was prepared to offer his staff the opportunity to set up home offices, providing extra equipment to ensure business relations would not suffer. The company immediately transitioned to offering meetings virtually through LoopUp and Zoom, and has found the convenience in such technology.
Rodrigs acknowledges that while some clients value the opportunity to meet in-person, especially when discussing investment options, the company has been surprised at exactly how much success they have had through a virtual setting. Virtual meetings have offered RPM the ability to meet with people who may have otherwise been hard to book in-person. The company has also participated in several virtual conferences, allowing them to further its reach and presence as an industry competitor.
The global shutdown and subsequent economic turmoil has provided a unique opportunity for investors to study their options and make interesting shifts to enhance their portfolios. The focus at RPM is to identify attractive investments for its clients.
The current volatile market is exciting to Rodrigs and his team. RPM believes that market volatility creates a unique opportunity to identify those attractive investments, which may currently be mis-represented or mis-priced. RPM continues to study the trends and has identified a variety of investment opportunities that have improved, even slightly, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Businesses such as online retailers are one such niche, where the business is seeing an uptick in sales, and because of convenience, technology, and routine, this growth trend is one is worth noticing.
Raynar Portfolio Management has only known business during a health pandemic. The company is seeing positive results and has, of course, had its pitfalls during the past eight months as well. Rodrigs and his team are taking it all in stride. While they are anxiously awaiting the day that business will return to “normal” and when they can once again begin having those meaningful face-to-face conversation, they are thankful that today’s technology has allowed them to continue to keep their client focus and build the business.
About Philip Rodrigs
Philip Rodrigs is an award-winning Chartered Financial Analyst and founder of Raynar Portfolio Management (RPM). RPM is a portfolio management firm that specializes in micro-firm investments and embracing a client-first approach.
Rodrigs joined the professional investment industry in 2002 as a Trainee Fund Manager with Invesco Perpetual. He soon joined T Rowe Price International, specializing in U.K. and European small cap stocks.
A nine-year tenure with Investec Asset Management as U.K. Smaller Companies and U.K. Alpha Fund Manager, and U.K. Blue Chip Co-Fund Manager allowed Rodrigs the opportunity to gain experience, knowledge, and a few awards. He was twice named Investment Week U.K. Smaller Companies Manager of the Year in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, Rodrigs was chosen from a pool of all fund managers in London and awarded the prestigious title of Morningstar’s Outstanding Rising Talent in which he.
In 2014, Philip Rodrigs joined River and Mercantile Group. He earned the Financial Express UK Smaller Companies Alpha Fund Manager of the Year in 2016. Rodrigs also designed and launched a specialist Investment Trust which won What Investment Trust’s Best UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust in 2017.
Philip Rodrigs studied Economics and Management at Lincoln College, Oxford University and grew up in Nottingham, U.K. He started his career with a personal investment made using a small gift from his grandfather and has never looked back. He often notes that when you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life. Rodrigs resides in London and enjoys scuba diving, skiing, fast cars, and, when possible, global travel.
