Meet Robert Towell: Investment Specialist

Markets move quickly. Client goals usually do not.

For Robert Towell, being an investment specialist means operating between these two worlds; understanding what is happening in markets while ensuring that every investment decision remains anchored to what a client is ultimately trying to achieve.

His role brings together market analysis, collaboration with portfolio managers and wealth advisers, and, perhaps most importantly, conversations with clients.

“Each portfolio represents real goals, responsibilities and life experiences, not simply a set of holdings,” says Robert.

Robert Towell on what changed overnight

Robert’s day begins before the client conversations start.

He reviews overnight market movements, economic developments and company news, considering what has changed and, more importantly, whether any of it has implications for portfolios.

That thinking is then tested.

A round-table discussion with portfolio managers from across the country creates an opportunity to challenge views, compare perspectives and identify potential risks and opportunities before decisions are made.

For him, this collaboration matters because markets rarely offer straightforward answers. Different perspectives help ensure that investment decisions are considered rather than reactive.

Once that process is complete, his attention increasingly turns towards clients.

Understanding their concerns, explaining investment decisions and helping them maintain perspective through changing market conditions forms an important part of his day.

This becomes particularly important when markets are unsettled.

Periods of uncertainty can make short-term market movements feel more significant than they are. Robert believes one of the most valuable roles an investment professional can play is helping clients understand what those movements mean within the context of their longer-term plan.

Turning investment thinking into client outcomes

Investment opportunities are never in short supply.

The challenge, Robert says, is determining which opportunities are appropriate for a particular client.

That starts with understanding the purpose of the portfolio.

Is the client looking for growth? Income? Capital preservation? Or a combination of these objectives?

The answers help the investment team and wealth adviser establish the foundation from which the portfolio can be constructed.

Risk is an equally important part of that conversation.

Clients may understand the risks associated with equity investing in theory, but experiencing market volatility can reveal a very different level of comfort.

Robert believes the real work lies in bringing a client’s investment objectives and their tolerance for risk together.

Sometimes those two things do not initially align.

A client may have ambitious long-term objectives but be uncomfortable with the level of market movement that may accompany the investment strategy required to achieve them.

These are the conversations that matter.

By working directly with clients, wealth advisers and the wider investment team, he helps ensure that each portfolio is constructed around the individual rather than simply around an investment idea.

The responsibility clients do not always see

Some of the most important elements of investment management happen away from market screens and performance reports.

Robert says clients may not always see just how personally the team takes the responsibility of managing their wealth.

Behind every portfolio is a person, a family, a plan or an ambition.

Knowing clients and understanding their circumstances changes the way that responsibility is approached.

For Robert, managing investments therefore requires more than technical knowledge. It requires care, discipline and accountability.

Markets will continue to change. New opportunities will emerge, risks will evolve and investment views will be challenged.

Through all of this, the focus remains the same: making considered decisions that support what matters to each client over the long term.

Want to learn more about Robert Towell?

Watch our latest Meet Your Investment Specialist video to hear directly from Robert about his role, his approach to investing and how he works with clients and the wider team.

If you would like to speak with Robert Towell about your investment goals or understand more about our approach to managing wealth, get in touch with Robert or the Otto1890 team.

[Watch the video] | Contact Robert: [email protected]