Toby Thomas
Summary
I am an Investment professional with over 2 years of experience, currently working in the Investments line of business at WTW. Currently based in Sydney, Australia, at present I am seeking opportunities to transfer to a London-based role in mid-2024 (I hold both Australian and UK citizenship).
I am a Level 1 CFA candidate who has a strong passion for working with institutional asset owners to help them improve the quality of their investment portfolios. I have worked with both advisory and fully delegated (OCIO) clients across all areas of the investment process – from agreeing on investment purpose/beliefs and setting investment objectives, to making investment strategy and portfolio construction decisions, as well as to improving portfolio implementation and monitoring.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
Work History
Investment Analyst
WTW Australia
02.2022 - Current
- Preparing client reports for review by consultants, including on matters such as investment strategy, portfolio construction, investment governance and ESG integration, as well as performance reporting.
- Assisting in the selection of high quality investment managers for clients, as well as the ongoing monitoring of these investment managers.
- Undertaking investment due diligence, including detailed investment strategy modelling to help clients set their portfolio strategy and strategic asset allocations.
- Attending and presenting at client meetings with consultants to help deliver our advice, offer training, and provide commentary on portfolio performance.
- Portfolio Management team member of WTW's Global Equity fund (AUD $1.3bn FUM), with responsibilities including daily trading, undertaking quantitative and qualitative stock analysis, and presenting stock recommendations and ideas to fund's Investment Committee. This opportunity has provided me exposure to portfolio management and broader investing technical skills across the Equities asset class.
- Working alongside head of Business Development to grow WTW's client base and brand name in the Wealth sector, refining my skills in relationship management and sales to prospective clients. This has included undertaking due diligence on client prospects, putting together pitch decks, and presenting pitch material's to Wealth groups.
Board Member & Treasurer
Advocacy Law Alliance
03.2021 - Current
- Assisting on a voluntary basis, I am a Board Member and Treasurer for the Advocacy Law Alliance, a community based organisation active across the Mid North Coast and NSW Regional areas. The ALA advocates for the rights of people with disabilities, and runs several free legal centres across NSW for clients with disabilities.
- In my role as Treasurer, I work closely with the Chairman and CEO for maintaining the ongoing accuracy and analysis of the ALA's financial statements, sign-off on annual budgets and financial documentation, and prepare and present to the board on all financial matters in regular Board meetings. Throughout my time as a Board member, the organisation's assets have significantly grown from <$1m to over $10m. This position has also further developed my understanding of financial statement analysis, strategic decision-making and broader corporate governance skills as I have engaged with other board members as part of regular meetings.
Commercial Analyst
NSW Government, Investment NSW
09.2020 - 01.2022
- Key team member responsible for delivering large-scale Commercial Transactions between NSW Government and private sector entities. Examples of transactions i assisted on included NSW Government's collaboration with US-based company Moderna to develop mRNA vaccines during COVID-19 in NSW. As a Project Team member, I assisted on three key commercial transactions, and worked closely with our Commercial Director to draft a bid response on behalf of NSW to the Australian Government.
- My key responsibilities in this role included stakeholder engagement, providing project management support across a broad range of areas, preparing Executive-level presentations through MS PowerPoint, drafting of negotiations plans and other legal documentation, and conducting due diligence and strategic analysis of foreign companies.
Paralegal
Mills Oakley Lawyers
11.2017 - 03.2020
- In my time as a Paralegal in the Corporate Advisory team, I assisted both junior and senior lawyers to provide various Company Secretarial services for a portfolio of 100 clients, independently preparing common company material such as Board Minutes, Share Transfers and various ASIC documentation. In addition, I have also been exposed to Equity Capital Markets projects, recently assisting an ECM Partner & Associate in the drafting of an ASX Prospectus and other official documentation relating to an Initial Public Offering of shares valued at $70mil to take place in 2020.
- Prior to this as a Paralegal in the Building & Construction team, I assisted junior and senior lawyers with the preparation of documents for both transactional and litigation purposes. In this role, I worked closely with a Senior Partner in the execution of Service Agreements across 30 commercial properties on an ongoing basis, for a publicly-listed client totalling 200mil of annual revenue.
Education
Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice - Legal Practice, Law
NSW College of Law
Sydney, Australia12.2022
J.D. - Law
University of Sydney
Sydney, NSW12.2020
Bachelor of Arts - History, Government & International Relations
University of Sydney
Sydney, Australia12.2017
Skills
MS Office suite, presenting to clients and prospects, financial statement and equity analysis, investment strategy & portfolio construction, financial modelling, commentary and report writing, portfolio management and stock selection.
Timeline
Investment Analyst
WTW Australia
02.2022 - Current
Board Member & Treasurer
Advocacy Law Alliance
03.2021 - Current
Commercial Analyst
NSW Government, Investment NSW
09.2020 - 01.2022
Paralegal
Mills Oakley Lawyers
11.2017 - 03.2020
Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice - Legal Practice, Law
NSW College of Law
J.D. - Law
University of Sydney
Bachelor of Arts - History, Government & International Relations
University of Sydney