Jonathan Sieff is responsible for asset allocation oversight and macro-level investment direction across listed and private markets. As Chair of the Investment Committee, he provides strategic leadership, high-level investment thought leadership, and direct engagement with key Universum client relationships.

Jonathan has 34 years’ experience across Wealth & Asset Management, Private Equity, and Venture Capital. He has founded, scaled, and led multiple financial services businesses across several jurisdictions. He has chaired Investment Committees overseeing multi-asset portfolios globally and previously served as CEO of Close Brothers Asset Management, Principle Capital (AIM-listed), Prescient Wealth Management, and Joint CEO of Nedbank Private Bank.

Jonathan holds a degree in Economics from Rhodes University.

Chris Welsh is Managing Partner of Universum and is responsible for the firm’s investment governance framework, strategic development, and key stakeholder relationships. In partnership with Jonathan Sieff, he plays a central role in shaping Universum’s long-term strategy and institutional platform.

Chris was previously CEO of the Mako Group, where he led a global multi-asset derivatives trading business for over a decade. During this period, he founded and scaled an award-winning investment management business. He has remained actively involved in investment management and venture capital, bringing deep entrepreneurial and scale-up expertise alongside extensive corporate governance experience.

Chris has over 29 years’ experience in financial services. He began his career as an analyst at Morgan Stanley before joining Credit Suisse. He is a Chartered Accountant (ACMA), an Associate of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (ACSI) and holds a BA (Hons) in Economics from Heriot-Watt University.

Brad Mitchell is Chief Investment Partner and the firm’s lead investment professional. He is responsible for setting Universum’s investment philosophy, ensuring strategic alignment across all strategies, and providing ultimate oversight of performance and risk.

Brad is lead portfolio manager for the Universum Multi-Asset and Global Equity portfolios and coordinates all portfolio management discussions across listed markets. He brings 20 years’ experience in investment and risk management, having previously held senior roles as Head of Research and Fund Manager within Wealth & Asset Management businesses.

His career includes quantitative, investment, and management roles at financial services and investment consulting firms in South Africa. Brad holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and has completed actuarial examinations through the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (London).

Sean Young is a Senior Portfolio Manager responsible for designing and implementing tailored investment strategies for private clients and families across Universum’s public and private market solutions.

Sean brings 15 years’ experience across Wealth & Asset Management, Private Equity, and Property. He was previously a Portfolio Manager and a member of the Private Client Investment Committee at a South African Wealth Management business, responsible for Global Multi-Asset and Innovation portfolios.

Sean is a CFA Charterholder and holds an Investment Management degree from Stellenbosch University and an Honours degree in Portfolio Management & Financial Analysis (Cum Laude) from the University of Cape Town.

Roger Heaton has over 30 years’ experience in global financial markets. He began his career in Frankfurt trading fixed income and equity derivatives for institutional clients before relocating to London, where he spent many years at Mako Group advising Europe’s largest pension funds and insurance companies on hedging and income enhancement strategies.

Roger also managed a successful partners’ capital fund investing in alternative strategies, including hedge funds, absolute return, and private market investments. He played a key role in securing institutional seed capital for Mako’s in-house fund platform and served on several risk and oversight committees.

Since leaving Mako, Roger has acted as a consultant and strategic advisor to start-ups and has held multiple senior board positions. He holds a BA Joint Honours degree in French and German from King’s College London and the IMC and DipFA qualifications.

Andrew Morton has 25 years’ experience in investment management and advisory services. He began his career advising ultra-high-net-worth individuals before progressing into senior regional and national leadership roles.

Andrew previously ran the Wealth and Investment business for South Africa’s largest bank and later served as Head of Advice, where he defined advice philosophy, chaired the Product Committee, and sat on the Private Client Asset Allocation Committee. For the past six years, he was a Senior Portfolio Manager at Ashburton Investments in London.

Andrew holds a Commerce degree in Accounting and Economics, a Master’s degree in Business Leadership, and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.

Calum Harding is an Investment Analyst responsible for research and idea generation across Universum’s Multi-Asset and Global Equity portfolios, with additional responsibility for supporting the South African multi-asset fund range.

He specialises in identifying mispriced opportunities across equity and credit markets through a disciplined combination of quantitative analysis and fundamental research. Prior to joining Universum, Calum worked as a multi-asset analyst at a boutique asset manager, covering South African and global equities and credit, and contributing to portfolio management, treasury, and derivative strategies.

Calum has four years’ industry experience, is a CFA Charterholder, and holds an Honours degree in Financial Analysis from Stellenbosch University. He was also part of a winning team in the South African CFA Institute Research Challenge.

Nicholas Sieff is a Junior Investment Analyst responsible for assisting with Universum Wealth’s Innovation and Specialist Thematic portfolios.

Prior to joining Universum, Nicholas worked as a Corporate Development Intern at a global cybersecurity firm in New York and London, where he supported mergers and acquisitions initiatives and developed strategic business cases to drive growth.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Stellenbosch University, specialising in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management.

Peter Steenkamp is Head of Operations and oversees Universum’s operational infrastructure, including onboarding, client servicing, and trading.

He has seven years’ experience in financial and client services and previously worked as an in-house investment specialist responsible for portfolio monitoring, reporting, and analysis.

Peter holds an Honours degree in Financial Analysis from Stellenbosch University and is a CFA Charterholder.

Ciska Damaskinos is a Client Services Specialist responsible for client onboarding and relationship support. She ensures a seamless onboarding experience while maintaining rigorous KYC and KYB standards.

Since entering the investment industry in 2015, Ciska has developed extensive experience in client servicing and operational excellence, building trusted long-term client relationships.

Chiara Spokes is a Private Markets Analyst responsible for due diligence on fund commitments and co-investments, preparation of investment memoranda, and support of fund reporting and new vehicle launches.

She holds an Engineering degree and a Master’s in Finance from the London School of Economics. Chiara began her career in consulting at Deloitte before transitioning into private equity across both boutique and large-cap firms.

Dani Rubenstein is an Operations Analyst responsible for client service, trade execution, and portfolio management support.

He has prior internship experience in asset management and private equity and holds a double major in Business Administration and Economics with a Finance specialisation. Dani is currently a CFA Level I candidate.

Jacob Snijman supports senior portfolio managers with portfolio reporting, trade execution, client servicing, and compliance processes.

He holds a BCom in Economics and Investment Management from Stellenbosch University and a BCom Honours in Finance from the University of Cape Town, with internship experience at several global institutional investment firms.

Stephanie Morris is a Partner at Universum and oversees the firm’s legal matters and assists with its governance. She also supports the management of Universum’s global platform and contributes to strategic business development.

Stephanie previously spent many years as a lawyer at Mishcon de Reya in London, specialising in complex, multi-jurisdictional family matters for ultra-high-net-worth individuals. Her work often involved international trusts, corporate structures, and complex remuneration arrangements.

She holds an LLB Law Degree from the University of Exeter and completed her LPC Diploma at the College of Law in London.

Chris Gunter is Chairman of Universum. He founded and scaled a multinational technology advisory and business transformation firm, successfully exiting to a strategic buyer in 2016 before delivering further tenfold bottom-line growth as CEO.

He later served as Executive Chairman of Diagonal Consulting Inc, leading a transformational strategy that resulted in a 30x ROIC exit to a private equity-backed buyer. Chris has worked extensively with global enterprises and private equity firms including APAX, CVC, and THL on large-scale transformation and separation programmes.

Chris completed his articles at Deloitte, is a Chartered Accountant, and holds Commerce degrees from the University of South Africa and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.