Active Assets Limited was incorporated in London in August 2007 and has been held by the same family since. The capital is ours, the decisions are ours, and the time horizon follows from both.
Most investment businesses are built around raising money from other people. The structure that follows is familiar: a fund with a fixed life, a period in which capital must be put to work, and a date by which it must come back. Every decision inside that structure is shaped by the calendar.
Active Assets was set up the other way around. It is a private limited company that invests from its own balance sheet. There are no outside investors to report to and no fund to wind up, so the only question on any investment is whether we want to own it.
That has made us slower than we could be, and considerably more selective. We think both are features.
Ownership and structure
The share capital sits with members of the founding family. There are no institutional shareholders, no external investors and no third party capital in the company. Everything on the balance sheet belongs to the people who decided to put it there.
The board and the ownership are effectively the same group of people. That removes the gap between the person who carries the risk and the person who approves the decision, which is the gap most investment committees exist to manage.
As a UK registered company, our accounts, officers and persons with significant control are filed annually at Companies House and are available to anyone who wants to look. We would rather counterparties check than take our word for it.
Two directors, both shareholders, both involved in every position the company takes.
Director since August 2007
A founding director of the company, appointed on the day of incorporation. He leads on the direct investment side of the balance sheet, taking primary responsibility for company acquisitions and for the ongoing relationship with the businesses we hold.
Director since May 2010
Appointed to the board in 2010. He leads on property and on the credit book, and carries responsibility for how the company structures and secures the capital it lends.
Everything below is a matter of public record and can be verified directly at Companies House.
Registered name
Active Assets Limited
Company number
06348403
Incorporated
21 August 2007
Company type
Private limited company
Place of registration
England and Wales
Registered office
10 Somerset Square, London W14 8EEPublic filings
The quickest way to find out is to send it over. We read everything that arrives.