Brian Moretta

Dr Moretta is an actuary who has spent most of his career working in investment. While the main focus of his work remains in finance, he likes to have diversity in a semi-pluralist way in both paid and voluntary roles. His most significant employments have been as a investment research analyst and a fund manager, with some experience in other areas. He has also taken on temporary academic roles and started a couple of small businesses in the dance area, but has long since realised that much of what he does is helping others to know or do more.

Having spent many years analysing companies, most notably in the financial area, he has now established himself as one of the leading researchers into tax advantaged investment. He has written numerous reports on EIS funds and companies, Business Relief products and VCTs, digging into issues in a sector where transparency can leave much to be desired.

The diversity of work has been largely opportunistic, with a mixture of taking advantage of approaches to do something interesting and filling gaps that have become clear from doing things that are worthwhile. Voluntary work has been as important at times as the paid stuff. The aim of these is to provide a balanced lifestyle, with interesting and stimulating work while still giving time for outside interests and projects.

Overall, he is a highly numerate finance professional with very strong IT skills and presentational/educational abilities. He appreciates intellectual freedom, responsibility and interesting challenges bringing a rounded personality to any situation with proven team and leadership skills.

Summary CV

Qualifications

BSc (1st Class Honours) in Actuarial Mathematics & Statistics (Heriot-Watt University, 1988)
PhD in Applied Probability (Heriot-Watt University, 1995)
Fellow of the Institute & Faculty of Actuaries (1991)

Honorary Fellow, Heriot-Watt University (2019)

Financial Career History

2013 onwards – Consultant for Hardman & Co, Head of Tax Enhanced Services
2011 – 2012 – Consultant for Edison Investment Research
2010, 2012, 2017 onwards – Assistant Professor in Actuarial Science, Heriot-Watt University
2007 onwards – BM Research
2007 – 2018 –  Examiner (prior to 2011 Assistant Examiner), Institute & Faculty of Actuaries
1995 – 2005 – Investment Manager, SVM Asset Management
1994 – 1995 – Lecturer in Actuarial Mathematics, Heriot-Watt University
1988 – 1991 – Trainee Actuary, Scottish Provident Institution

Other Businesses

2012 – 2016 – salsaflix.tv – online salsa video rental
2010 onwards – Baile Escocia – Latin dance agency
2008 onwards – salsa & tango teaching

Specialist Sectors

Venture capital (EIS funds, SEIS funds, VCTs), unquoted Business Relief, Banks, Insurers, Financials, Retail Bonds

Other Qualifications

Investment Management Certificate (1997)
Associate of the UK Alliance of Professional Dance Teachers (2010)

Academic Research

Journal of Applied Mathematics and Decision Sciences V2(2) Dec 1998 Admission Controls for Erlangs’ Loss System with Service Times Distributed as a Finite Sum of Exponential Random Variables with I. Ziedins

Actuarial Investment Conference 2002 The Effect of Buybacks on Investment Trust Discounts with A. Adams & R. MacPherson

For Fun

Favourite Vacation Spot: Greenland

Favourite Film: Local Hero

Personal target: “Be the change you want to see in the world” Gandhi (I know it’s tough, but you have to aspire to something.)