Ged Kelly, head of fund operations, Nordic Capital
How many years have you been in Jersey? Twelve.
What do you consider to be your home town? Manchester.
Educational background: Sheffield University – accounting and financial management, ACA qualified.
First job in the industry: Financial controller for Mercury Private Equity as it span out of Merrill Lynch to become Hg Capital. I was hired to set up the finance function for client and house reporting.
What is the toughest challenge you’ve faced in your professional life? Straight after qualifying, I moved to KPMG Paris in the midst of the busy season heading up large audit teams for US/UK corporates. My French was casual, rather than business-level and my knowledge of US GAAP was non-existent.
What achievement are you most proud of? Developing the now 13-strong team at Nordic Capital in Jersey. We have different backgrounds and experience, but all have a great common understanding of how Nordic Capital does deals, which means we come together really well under pressure.
What advice would you give to someone who is beginning their career in the funds industry? Do not be afraid to seek help and advice from more experienced people. They will often be only too keen to help develop you and your career.
If you could change one thing about the funds industry, what would it be? I would love to see technology make a real difference to how investors access, review and monitor their investments in the alternative funds space. This is currently fragmented, non-standard and can be surprisingly labour-intensive. Imagine an app where Revolut meets TripAdvisor for investors to tailor their investing experience.
What’s the best investment you’ve made? The time I invested in studying to pass my ACA exams. It has allowed me to work globally in many different roles. The IRR is infinite.
Favourite country to visit? Personally, France, but for the family it would be Oman, where we have had some great times.
Favourite type of food? French food, as it would likely mean I am there on holiday!
Favourite book or film? Back to the Future: the DeLorean, constructed romance, nerdy science-fiction – it has it all.
Your house is burning. Your family is safe. You have time to rescue one object. What would it be and why? Assuming Johnny the dog is safe – because we all know pets are a part of the family – I would rescue Moo-Moo, my youngest daughter’s cuddly cow which we have not yet lost, eight years on.
This article, on page 35 of the printed version of the ‘Jersey 2019’ report published in May, said that Ged Kelly was brought up in a pub. This was not the case and Funds Europe is happy to make that clear and apologises for the production error.
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