Our Team

Beyond Investing - background

The principals of Beyond Investing are long-standing vegans and environmentalists whose personal ethos and lifestyles are aligned with the policies and mission of the Beyond Investing vegan platform.

Claire Smith

Geneva, Switzerland
+ 44 207 157 9706

    
Claire Smith
Chief Executive Officer

Claire Smith is a vegan entrepreneur and impact investor who splits her time between Ireland and Switzerland. The instigator of the Beyond Investing vegan investment platform and CIO of Beyond Impact, she is developing investment programs for vegans and environmentalists in both public and private markets and directly founding and investing in plant-based, animal replacing and cruelty-free businesses. She is co-founder of Beyond Animal, an online platform to accelerate the growth of a thriving vegan economy and President of Beyond Cruelty Foundation, formed to campaign for zero animal exploitation and to fund safe havens for animals.

Previously she was a research analyst, partner and shareholder at leading alternatives advisory firm Albourne Partners. She covered all managers globally undertaking quantitative equity market neutral, statistical arbitrage, convertible arbitrage and volatility arbitrage strategies, including tail hedging, and some multistrategy relative value. Claire also led a project to upgrade and expand Albourne’s proprietary database on alternatives managers.

Prior to joining Albourne in 2004, Claire provided bespoke hedge fund research to London funds of funds and published well over 100 articles in the financial press. From 1986 to 1998 Claire was employed at various UBS group companies as a derivatives broker, marketer and structurer. Career highlights include initiating a synthetic warrants issuance program in 1994, becoming head of European convertible sales in 1995 and head of investor derivative marketing in 1996. Claire started her career in 1985 as a credit analyst at Chase Manhattan Bank after completing a Masters program in Chemical Engineering and Management at Imperial College, London.

Claire founded 100 Women in Hedge Funds in Geneva in 2007 and oversaw the organisation’s strategy and development in Switzerland through till 2014. She was a member of the London Board of 100 Women in Hedge Funds from 2009 and of the global Advisory Council from 2012. Claire was a member of the Board of AVVEC, a Geneva charity that provides support to women and children subjected to domestic violence from 2013 to 2019.

EDUCATION

M.Eng., Chemical Engineering and Business Administration, Imperial College, London (1981-1985)

RESPONSIBILITIES

Product development and design
Liaison with platform providers
Marketing strategy
Business management

Jersey, Channel Islands
+ 44 207 157 9706

    
Larry Abele
Chief Investment Officer

“Focused on the continual enhancement of our absolute return strategy with a concentration on ESG and sustainability”

Larry holds a BA in Mathematics & Economics from Florida State University and a MPhil in Economics & Politics from Cambridge University, England, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. In-between educational periods, Larry spent three years walking with a small group of activists as part of the ‘Global Walk for a Livable World’ across the USA, Europe and Asia to promote environmental awareness.

Larry has amassed 20 years plus experience in the investment area and his specialisms range from quantitative and financial modelling, portfolio construction and risk management, environmental economics and research, as well as alternative investments to name a few. In 2007 Larry was named one of the twenty rising stars in hedge funds by Institutional Investor Magazine.

Larry started his career at First Quadrant in California. Following this, he worked at Barclays Global Investors’ San Francisco office as a member of the Advanced Strategies and Research Group. Larry later moved to Deutsche Asset Management as Global Head of Quantitative Strategies and Portfolio Engineering. He left DeAM in 2004 and founded Auriel, a $2bn absolute return fund specializing in macro, currency and equity long-short strategies.

EDUCATION

B.A. Mathematics & Economics, Florida State University (1990-1995)
M.Phil. Economics & Politics, Cambridge University, England (1997-2001)

RESPONSIBILITIES

Application of quantitative screens
Impact measurement
Portfolio construction and risk management

Cheltenham, United Kingdom
+ 44 207 157 9706

    
Lee Coates, OBE
Head of Ethical Screening

Lee has worked in the financial services industry for 36 years. In 1989 he set up a financial business in the UK specialising in ethical investment and in 1998 set up a UK-based ethical research company offering global stock coverage.

In 2009 Lee established a company in Australia to develop ethical investment opportunities there. In 2010 the company’s first ethical Superannuation fund was launched, followed by bespoke ethical portfolio services.

As well as maintaining an active interest in the above companies, Lee now provides consultancy services on ethical policy setting, monitoring and screening for banks and Investment companies.

Lee has been a Board and committee member of many organisations over the years, including sitting on the Board of the UK Social Investment Forum and serving as Chair of the Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility.

In 2011 Lee was awarded an OBE for services to ethical business and finance.

EDUCATION

Accounting and Finance BTEC
Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute

RESPONSIBILITIES

Policy development and qualitative screening
PR and Marketing

Beyond Investing is the trading name of:
Beyond Advisors IC, a company registered in Jersey, company no: 124068

Registered Office:
14391 Spring Hill Drive, Suite 301, Spring Hill, Florida 34609
and
Beyond Investing LLC, a Delaware LLC, company no: 7380775

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