Barnett Waddingham strengthens charity expertise with Paul Maguire

The former Head of Investments at the National Trust has joined investment consultancy Barnett Waddingham to strengthen its third-sector offering. As an Investment Consultant at the firm, Paul Maguire will draw on his extensive experience working with charities and non-profits to bolster Barnett Waddingham’s offerings for the sector.

One of the UK’s 10 largest providers of actuarial, administration and consultancy services, Barnett Waddingham hosts some 633 employees across its operations, while enjoying annual revenues of more than £67 million. As the firm looks to grow its revenues amid a competitive market, it has made a number of changes in recent months to diversify both its talent pool and services offering.

Earlier in 2018, Barnett Waddingham offered up a new route into professional services, via apprenticeships, to boost the range of life experiences and talents among its ranks. Now, the firm has drafted in charity expert Paul Maguire, as it hopes to bolster its offering to the third-sector.

Maguire takes up a role as Investment Consultant with the firm, and will subsequently work with its clients in the charity and not-for-profits arena. In that capacity, he will work to enhance Barnett Waddingham’s investment consulting offering to the non-profit segment, with a strong focus on business and service development.

Prior to his arrival in the consulting world, Maguire was previously Head of Investments at The National Trust. The conservation organisation of England, Wales and Northern Ireland is the largest membership organisation in the United Kingdom, and during his 16 year spell with the group he oversaw an increase in the value of investments from £600 million to £1.3 billion. He was also for a number of years responsible for treasury operations, fund accounting and administration, as well as contributing to the organisation’s defined benefit pension scheme’s investment strategy.

Most recently, his role has focused on the more strategic direction of the charity’s investment strategy with the support of the Trust’s Investment Committee. His previous experience includes various fund management and equity analyst roles, at companies such as Prudential, Capel-Cure Myers, Laurentian/Lincoln National and Old Mutual.

Commenting on the new arrival, Alex Pocock, Head of Investment at Barnett Waddingham, said, “The charity and not-for-profit sector is an important area of focus for Barnett Waddingham and Paul’s appointment highlights this. Paul’s expertise will enhance the service we are able to offer our clients.”

Speaking on his new role, Maguire remarked, “With a background in both fund management and working for a large not-for-profit organisation, I believe that I can bring a good understanding of what a charity can and should look for from its investments; primarily in terms of achieving a financial return commensurate with its overall core purpose, but also and increasingly, with due regard to non-financial objectives, such as ESG considerations. I look forward to helping to de-mystify the investment world to charity clients and deliver solutions to meet their investment needs.”