Mark St Giles is an authority on capital markets, collective investment schemes and the asset management market with extensive practical experience, both as an investment manager and as managing director of asset management companies managing substantial sums for institutional and private clients.  Following an early career in securities markets working with a stockbroking firm, he moved into asset management in the 1970's, becoming Managing Director and later Chairman of several fund management companies and a member of the UK Board of National Savings.  He also became Chairman of the Financial Intermediaries, Managers and Brokers Regulatory Association (an SRO) and Board Member of the Life Assurance and Unit Trust Regulatory Organisation (another SRO), both of which are now subsumed by the Financial Services Authority.   

Other posts he has held include those of Chairman of the British Unit Trust Association (now the Investment Management Association), President of the European Federation of Investment Funds and Companies (now EFAMA) and Member of the UK Takeover Panel and he was until recently Chairman of the Investment Committee of the British Heart Foundation.

As a consultant, Mark has worked on the development of collective investment schemes and capital markets with a wide range of clients including government departments, regulatory authorities, trade associations, training organisations, stock exchanges, securities and asset management houses worldwide.   He is co-author of the book ‘Managing Collective Investment Funds’; and of the handbook ‘Regulating Collective Investment Funds’.  He is also an experienced speaker and trainer, having designed and delivered more than a hundred training courses for the asset management sector internationally.  He is one of the two trainers who design and deliver the Investment Management Association/Cadogan Education regular introductory course for managers - ‘Understanding the Business of Investment Fund Management Companies’.