About Us

Nick Swales, OBE, DL, Chartered FCSI (Hon)

CHAIR

After attaining a degree in Politics and Economics from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Nick started his professional career as a private client stockbroker with Wise Speke then, in 1990 and after gaining the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) Diploma, became a member of the London Stock Exchange. Nick developed his career, in providing investment advice to a wide range of client types, by working for two international banks, Merrill Lynch and UBS before becoming Regional Director of Rathbones heading up its Newcastle upon Tyne office. He retired from his last full time role in 2024 although he still returns to Rathbones, from time to time, as he is involved in training the next generation of Financial Services professionals.

Nick was a member of the CISI Board from 2009 to 2021 and has chaired both its Investment and Membership Committees, as well as being a Board appointee on the CISI Educational Trust. Other voluntary positions currently held by Nick include being Chair of the Board at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, Chair of the Newcastle University Retirement Benefits Fund, Deputy Chair of the University's Development Trust and a Member of University Court.

Nick was honoured to be commissioned, Deputy Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear in 2020 and has enjoyed the charitable and civic role this allows him to undertake in his regional community. Nick was awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours 2024, for services to the community of Tyne and Wear.

Alan Ramsay, FCA, FCSI (Hon)

TRUSTEE

Alan Ramsay has spent the greater part of his career in financial services regulation and risk management. Alan was latterly Deputy Chairman of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment and Chief Executive of the International Property Securities Exchange.

Alan was previously a Senior Advisor to PricewaterhouseCoopers advising clients on a wide range of compliance and regulatory issues within their Banking & Capital Markets Practice and Global Head of Compliance for HSBC Bank Plc whom he joined from Bankers Trust International where he occupied a similar role. At an earlier stage in his career, Alan was Executive Director of Surveillance at the Securities and Futures Authority and also occupied senior positions at both The London Stock Exchange and The Securities Association.

A Chartered Accountant by training, Alan is an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment. He has served on the Board of the Futures & Options Association and is Visiting Professor in the Practice of Financial Regulation and Compliance at BPP Law School. He is also a Member of the Livery of both the Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and the Worshipful Company of International Bankers.

Debbie Clarke, FCSI (Hon), CF

TRUSTEE

Debbie Clarke is Managing Director of New Clarke Ventures, providing board support and advice to private companies and their shareholders and a seasoned Non Executive Director and finance and risk committee member. She has over 25 years’ corporate finance experience advising both the public, private and not for profit organisations. Debbie started working within the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) in 2005 helping the development of the Corporate Finance professional interest forum (PIF), before moving onto the CISI Board from 2017 – 2023. Debbie is also the Chair of British Triathlon Foundation and Vice Chair of Child’s I Foundation.

Debbie is also a Member of the Livery of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers and was granted Freedom of the City of London in 2022.

Victoria Nye

TRUSTEE

Victoria Nye was director of the Investment Association responsible for Training and Education for 19 years and before then the association’s director of Communications for 4 years having trained an investment analyst for Fidelity Investments. She started to campaign for personal finance education to be in the national curriculum from 1998 and became a founder trustee of pfeg, now Young Money. She was a non-executive of the Training and Development Agency for Schools and has worked with the Financial Services Authority on its National Financial Capability Strategy.

To encourage diversity in the investment management sector, she helped start-up Investment2020. She has been a consultant for PIMFA and for a fintech pensions adviser. She now has a range of roles ranging from farmer and charity fund-raiser, to trustee, school governor and deputy lieutenant in Wiltshire.

Charlini De Almeida

TRUSTEE

Charlini De Almeida has a background across financial services, management consultancy and startup sectors. During her time at Barclays Private Bank in London, she led core strategic initiatives launching products across the UK and delivered financial analysis in the Wealth Advisory and Wealth Planning division. Charlini joined Barclays in 2017 where her roles spanned across strategy, product and client facing functions in Wealth Management and Private Banking. She started her career at EY as a Management Consultant, delivering digital transformation programmes in Ireland.

In addition to her corporate career, Charlini previously co-founded ventures in food and wellness sectors and continues to advise scaling startups at Techstars on go-to-market strategy, fundraising and product development. She was elected to serve as Chairperson of the Trinity College Dublin Association in London for a two-year term 2022-2024, leading a team to deliver initiatives for the alumni network. She is a strong advocate for financial literacy, supporting young people through hosting workshops, speaking engagements and partnered with Barclays LifeSkills to reach hundreds of young people.

Charlini holds an MSc in Behavioural Finance from the University of London, a BA (Hons) in Economics and Business from Trinity College Dublin and has completed the Venture Finance programme at the University of Oxford.