Jonathan Gain
Chief Investment Officer and CEO
Jonathan has been involved in financial services since 1993 when he graduated from Bournemouth University with a BA (Hons) in Accountancy. He joined the then newly formed Close Brothers Investment Limited in 1993 and was appointed Finance Director just five years later in 1998. In his role he was responsible for overseeing its property investment funds and numerous tax planning products, before becoming Managing Director in 2005.
When he left to set up Stellar, it had approximately £1 billion of funds under management. Drawing on his wide-ranging experience, Jonathan established Stellar Asset Management in 2007 along with the former founder of Close Brothers Investment Limited and two other colleagues. Jonathan remains the majority shareholder.
Outside of work he enjoys organising and participating in charity events, particularly sponsored cycle rides. He is a keen Manchester United supporter, as you would expect from someone who lives in the south! He also treats himself to a few days off work during the year to watch live cricket matches so he can follow the ups and downs of England’s test cricket team.
Click the link below to find out how the founding principles Jonathan introduced in 2007 continue to guide the pathway ahead for Stellar.
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Daryl Hine
Chief Operating Officer
With over 30 years business experience and a proven track record in financial services, Daryl has provided both strategic insight and operational leadership across a range of businesses.
He has experience with multinational PLCs and start ups but has a passion for SME’s – particularly the people side of the team. He enjoys getting to the essence of any problem, whether it’s team building, lead generation or product development related, and working with the right person to come up with the right solution.
His qualifications include holding a Diploma in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) as well as an MBA in Business Administration and Management from Lancaster University – one of the UK’s top 3 business schools.
Outside work and education, Daryl is a keen globetrotting traveller and loves all things tech, especially when keeping an eye out for the next big market disrupter.
Claire Taylor
Finance Director
With a background in the professional and financial services sectors, Claire leads Stellar’s Finance team. Claire joined Stellar in 2019 from Investment Management firm Greencoat Capital LLP where she gained exposure to the renewable energy infrastructure sector.
In her previous role as a Corporate Accountant with GVA Property Consultancy, Claire gained experience in the property sector. She originally trained as an Accountant with Jackson Calvert Certified Chartered Accountants, a prominent firm in the West Midlands. Claire has an MBA from the The University of Manchester.
Craig Reader
Chair
Craig’s career started at Thornton and Baker, which later became Grant Thornton where he trained as a Chartered accountant. After a few years in the industry he joined Chancery PLC in 1985 where he quickly became a leading figure in the development and promotion of Business Expansion Schemes.
He joined Close Brothers Group in 1991 and formed a division called Close Brothers investment Limited, which specialised in Tax Planning products. Craig grew the division to £3.5bn FUM over 15 years, with innovative products in areas such as EZTs, VCT, Film Schemes, EIS and sectors of the property market including the UK’s first property ISA. He watched the workforce grow to more than a hundred employees and was instrumental in building Close Brothers Investment Limited’s excellent reputation for innovative tax and property-based investment products.
In his role as Chair, Craig draws on his extensive investment and tax experience to guide the direction of the company and oversee the Investment Committee’s process.
Craig is a great sportsman and is usually found outside on his bike, on the tennis court or golf course. When not exploring uncharted corners of some of the UK’s finest courses, he likes to support England’s cause at Lord’s, Twickenham and Wembley.