Wealthify appoints David Semmens as the new Chief Investment Officer

By Megha Bhattacharya

Digital investment platform Wealthify today announced the appointment of David Semmens as the new Chief Investment Officer. The new CIO will be responsible for leading the company’s investment strategy across its portfolio of investment options including ISAs, SIPPs etc. Michelle Pearce-Burke, co-founder of the business and Chief Operating Officer had been the CIO until now. Michelle will focus solely as COO, working alongside CEO Andy Russell whilst retaining her position on the Investment Committee.

Andy Russell, CEO commented, “We are thrilled that David is taking on the CIO role permanently. He did a fantastic job last year, maintaining strong performance through an unpredictable and fast-changing period. The results of his investment strategies speak for themselves, and these give our customers confidence over their future performance under his stewardship.”

“We are also delighted that Michelle has chosen to concentrate fully on her COO role given our emphasis on growth in 2021 and beyond. Michelle’s entrepreneurial spirit is behind much of Wealthify’s success to date and she brings with this an acute understanding of the world of investing. I am really looking forward to continuing our work together into the next phase of our growth so that we can deliver a truly great service for our customers and future customers.”

Previously, David was the interim CIO at the company from June 2020. He led the Investment Strategy team at Wealthify since 2018. He has worked at global financial institutions including HSBC and Standard Chartered. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst Charterholder with more than fifteen years of experience behind him.

David Semmens, CIO said, “I am absolutely delighted to now be leading the talented investment team at Wealthify on a permanent basis. Despite the challenges of 2020, we have produced superb results for our customers, and I am looking forward to building on that success in the years ahead.”

Michelle Pearce-Burke, co-founder and COO added, “Wealthify has come a long way since our humble beginnings almost five years ago. Our investment performance to date has been strong – we have weathered some hard times, not least during our launch just weeks before the Brexit vote in 2016 and navigating the painful market crash last year due to Covid. The Ethical Plans we launched a couple of years ago have also seen exceptional growth, smashing their benchmarks and winning multiple awards.”