Who We Are

Sterling Investments is an independent fund management company based in Britain.

Our purpose is to provide capital growth to investors by investing in first-rate businesses – run by first-rate people.

We would like to serve one and all, whatever their life stage and be part of their journey towards financial freedom.

We own the firm and control our day. This ensures that we are not distracted or pressured to continuously “asset gather.” Instead, our central focus is investment excellence.

A restaurant owner should eat the food he serves his customers. Similarly, we believe in what we do and invest in the Fund ourselves.

Investment Team

A firm is only as good as its people. We are a bunch who love what we do. Each of us has a different skill set and style (yes we even disagree) but our camaraderie binds us together. We have an ownership mindset and talk directly (not in circles) because we trust & respect each other. Each of us hates bureaucracy and nor do we time for politics and game playing.

Melwin Mehta

Founder and CIO

Melwin is the founder of Sterling and has looked after the Fund since October 2017. He analyses every company like a business not a trading share and invests only in people he respects and admires. His 23-year career includes roles in private equity, family office, and hedge fund. He is a Bachelor of Engineering, a member of the CFA UK Society and holds the IMC.

Miles Nolan

Executive Director

Miles started his career as a financial journalist in 1998. After being the Smaller Companies Editor at the Investors Chronicle, he was the Editor of the Growth Company Investor. He then worked as an analyst and fund manager in asset and wealth management. He is on the advisory panel and judges the Lloyds Bank British Excellence Awards.

Tony Doran

Compliance Director

Tony has been a compliance officer for UK-regulated investment management companies since joining Progressive Asset Management in 1997. Prior to that, he worked for the Listing Department of the London Stock Exchange (now part of the FCA) where he progressed to Head of Compliance. He is a Chartered Accountant and has a degree in Classics from Oxford University.

Robin Woodbine Parish

Non-Executive Director

Robin has been an active investor since 1971. He has been a director of his family office and investment company El Oro Group since 1980 and Chairman since 1994. In his 50 years as an investor, he has gained an encyclopaedic knowledge of all sectors and seen multiple business cycles. He has a BA Hons and MA from Oxford University.

Tanishka Sawant

Analyst

Tanishka is a finance graduate and has passed her CFA II exams. In addition to company research, she undertakes a wide variety of tasks and helps the team monitor ESG initiatives of companies in the portfolio.

Richard Holmwood

Managing Partner

Richard leads our private markets division after a 20 year career in the British Business Bank (National Security Strategic Investment Fund), Foreign Office and HM Treasury. He believes there is a massive opportunity for UK and allied capital to be invested in UK-based companies and their success in-turn driving GDP and productivity. Richard holds a Master’s Degree in Economics and an MBA.

Our ethos is marked by

Trust

We limit our dealings to people we trust. Whether it is life, business, or investing, trust underpins everything we do. Our core ethos is dictum meum pactum (my word is my bond).

Care

Investors entrust us with their money & we are ever mindful of our fiduciary duty. We invest with thought, and with care. Put simply, we treat investors the way we would like to be treated.

Patience

We’re here to deliver sustainable long-term value, not short-term trading profits. We act only when the right opportunity emerges and “do nothing” when nothing needs to be done.

Our Approach

As shareholders, we see ourselves as co-owners of the company and co-partners with the management. Very much like a partner, we are open and straightforward in our communications. Management teams know where we stand, admire our candid and analytical rigour. Sometimes conversations get tough but those are strictly “within the family.”

Business is all about people

We believe the right talent in the right place can make a dramatic difference to the long-term value of any company. We undertake site visits to identify first-class operators and conduct reference checks.

We want to invest alongside superior management teams who understand the importance of culture, people, capital allocation and shareholder value. Hence, we take the time and effort to understand the management’s ethos and motivation. We really want to invest in people we like, trust and admire.

We are investors, not operators

As investors, we see ourselves as allocators of capital – we do not wish to be involved in the day-to-day running of the business. Having invested in hundreds of companies, we have been there before and watched many movies.

We often know what has worked for other companies and can offer ideas to address the situation. Leadership have found our experience to be useful – especially when times are tough and others abandon them.

Partner and network

Our CEOs know their businesses backward and need none of our interference in their day-to-day operations. However, our network, knowledge and view of the elephant is likely to be different. For those who care, we will happily help. We are also able to introduce non-executive directors, advisers, or key recruits who will join because they trust us to get the job done.

We have led and become cornerstone investors in fundraisings, significantly accelerating the fundraising’s momentum. There is no hiding – we want our companies to succeed and where required, we will dial numbers and put our networks to work.

Honesty in business

We expect the management to run their businesses ethically, not make up numbers to satisfy short-term market expectations. They must run their businesses with a long-term mindset and for the benefit of all stakeholders.

If a manager is ever doubtful about their actions, we offer a simple test. They should ask themself one question: Would mum be happy to know this?

Investing in smaller companies

  • In general, larger companies have a structured investor relations programs and their websites contain exhaustive investor information. Hence, hundreds of analysts and large fund houses find it very easy to research them – from the comfort of their desks. What is there not to like? Unfortunately, this also makes larger company investing a very crowded endeavour. It is incredibly hard to develop any sort of edge.
  • On the other hand, in the post-MiFID-2 world, many brokers have reduced their research coverage of smaller companies. This relative lack of information on smaller companies means that they are more likely to be overlooked and potentially underpriced. We like such inefficiencies and believe we are paid to do just that.
  • Small companies are hard work. Fortunately we love what we do and this gives us the required energy to do more research or take that one extra meeting.

Undervalued

Often, smaller companies are under-researched and overlooked. This often results in undervaluation, that works in our favour.

Takeover candidates

Larger companies often acquire smaller companies – especially if the stock market is failing to value them correctly. Several of our companies have been acquired in the past.

Aligned

Often, the management of smaller companies have meaningful ownership stakes and are aligned with shareholder interests. As owners, they think and act judiciously – just like we do. We like that.

Grow faster

Generally, smaller companies are more focused, easier to understand and grow faster than larger companies. Smaller companies are speedboats, not super tankers.

People & Culture

We get to know the senior management team and seek to evaluate the culture of the company and the commitment of the team. This is a possible task in smaller companies.

Discounted shares

We are able to invest in IPOs & discounted share placings. Our wide network of brokers and company executives gives us good access to juicy deals.

Careers

Current Opening in Marketing and Sales

First and foremost, our culture is authentic and open. We insist on covering all angles – each of us covers for the other and always have each others back.

We are a boutique and will succeed only if we really add value for our clients. Hence, it is important to have people from different backgrounds in the team.

The firm is entrepreneurial so success is shared and everyone has a sense of ownership. In a world where rule books are getting thicker but the honesty quotient is getting thinner, we believe integrity is at a premium. We are proud of our work and it is a privilege (and fun) to work with fantastic colleagues. We love Mondays.

Over the past decade, Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) have had a tremendous ride. In our view, the asset management industry is now re-entering a phase where nimble boutiques will once again have an edge. Clients are wary of large firms and are increasingly asking very pertinent questions such as:

  • Is value being delivered?
  • Is the manager aligned with the investor or his firm?
  • Are decisions being taken for the long-term?

Our answers to such questions are a resounding “Yes.”

We are currently looking for a like-minded person to focus on marketing and sales so the investing team can focus on investing. We are flexible on time and location but our main ask is: you to love what you do.

If you do love your craft, give us a try. We are a great bunch. Reference check us and you will hear amazing things.

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