Our Team

Claire Smith is a climate fund manager, fintech entrepreneur and impact investor with 40 years of experience in finance and investment. She founded the vegan investment platform Beyond Investing, which designs cruelty-free investment programs in public equity markets, and its venture capital arm, Beyond Impact.

Beyond Impact has invested in over 30 superior, scalable and sustainable solutions which are humane, decarbonising and regenerative across nutrition, ingredients, pharmaceuticals and materials.

Beyond Investing created the US, Europe, Global and International Vegan Climate Indexes, which screen out all animal exploitation and fossil fuel from market benchmarks. The US Vegan Climate ETF was listed as a tracker fund on the NYSE (ticker: VEGN) in September 2019. The Vegan World Index comprises small to midcap growth stocks targeted to the vegan theme.

In 2018 she co-founded Beyond Animal, a networking and funding platform to accelerate the growth of an animal-free economy, and she is President of Beyond Cruelty Foundation, which campaigns for zero animal exploitation and funds safe havens for animals.

Claire received recognition as “Investment leader of the year” for her pioneering work in vegan investing by Environmental Finance in their 2022 Sustainable Investment Awards. Both public and private equity funds lunched by Beyond have received multiple awards from industry journals.

Previously, Claire was a research analyst, partner and shareholder at alternatives advisory firm Albourne Partners, covering managers globally across systematic quantitative equity, convertible and volatility and portfolio hedging strategies.

Prior to joining Albourne in 2004, Claire provided hedge fund research to London funds of funds, and published over 100 articles in the financial press. From 1986 to 1998 Claire was employed at UBS as a derivatives broker, marketer and structurer. Claire started her career in 1985 as a credit analyst at Chase Manhattan Bank after completing a Masters in Chemical Engineering and Business Management at Imperial College, London.

Claire founded 100 Women in Finance in Geneva in 2007 and oversaw its growth in Switzerland through till 2014, as member of the London Board, organizing over 100 events, including seven Galas which raised over $1.2 million for charity.

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

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

Larry began his career in 1996 at First Quadrant, where he worked under renowned quant pioneer Rob Arnott. He subsequently joined Barclays Global Investors in the Advanced Active Strategies Research Group, widely regarded within the industry as a centre of excellence for quantitative research.

He went on to serve as Head of Quantitative Strategies at Deutsche Asset Management before founding Auriel Capital Management, a systematic macro and equity hedge fund. Under his leadership, Auriel received multiple industry awards, and Larry was recognised by Institutional Investor magazine as one of the Top 20 Rising Stars in Hedge Funds.

Larry is the founder of Impact Cubed, where he leads a team applying advanced quantitative portfolio management techniques to sustainable investing. He holds an MPhil in Financial Economics from the University of Cambridge.

EDUCATION

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

RESPONSIBILITIES

Application of quantitative screens
Impact measurement
Portfolio construction and risk management

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 Limited, 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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