Alpha Beta Partners has paid tribute to senior portfolio manager Paul Warner who died on 1 August of cancer.
Alpha Beta Partners director Andrew Thompson described Warner as “one of the early pioneers of ethical, SRI and sustainable investing”.
Warner co-founded socially responsible discretionary fund manager Minerva Fund Managers with his wife Margaret in 1991. While at Minerva, he developed Minerva Ratings, a collective investment rating system helping to identify the most consistent funds in their respective sectors.
Minerva was acquired by Miton Optimal UK (MOUK) on 1 July 2017 before the latter was bought by Alpha Beta Partners on 9 December 2020. Thompson said part of the appeal of acquiring MOUK was Warner’s experience in responsible investing.
Passionate about what he did
Thompson added: “While I’ve known of Paul for many years, we were extremely pleased to make the acquisition of Miton Optimal UK and therefore secure a good quality segue into all things, ethical, ESG, green, and sustainable because Paul certainly covered all of those.”
He said Warner was realistically beyond the point of retirement, but he found it difficult to stand back because he was so passionate about what he was doing.
‘Always greeted me with a smile and a coffee’
Writing on LinkedIn, GemCap group chief executive and founder Stuart Alexander said: “Paul was an absolute gent, someone who always had time for the unit trust sales guys who called on him in Bath through the years.
“He always greeted me with a smile and a coffee and always asked about my, then, very young family. Whenever I was holding an event he was always the first on the list, as was Margaret, for they were a great team.”
The legacy continues
Warner’s daughter Sarah joined her parents at Minerva and is carrying on the family commitment to responsible investing with AB Investment Solutions.
Thompson added: “Sarah Warner is committed to the cause. She continues working very actively in this business and will carry on Paul’s legacy. There’s a definite continuity, not just in the investment approach but actually in the family.”
Warner’s eulogy paid tribute to him as “someone of great experience and also great humour and sheer love of life”.
It added: “He has left the investment sphere behind him a better, more ethical and environmentally friendly place, on the back of detailed and thorough research and dedication.”
Warner’s career in financial services started at Grieveson Grant stockbrokers in London after completing his A levels. A stint at NatWest’s investment department in Bristol followed before he joined Stock Beech & Co, also in Bristol.
He also worked as a financial controller for Sunwheel Foods and at Warburg, before returning to Stock Beech & Co to set up a discretionary unit trust portfolio management service. He also spent time at Abbey Unit Trusts and Charterhall Management Services.
He also used to write a monthly unit trust newsletter for Fleet Street publications from 1992 until 2017.
