David K. Shearwood, CIO

Co-Founder, Chief Investment Officer and Executive Director

Bachelor of Engineering (Mining, Honours - University of Sydney), ASIA (Applied Finance Diploma -Securities Institute of Australia), GAICD (order of merit - Member Australian Institute of Company Directors), PDipHR (Professional Diploma in Human Resources - Australian Human Resources Institute).

David has 20 years experience in financial markets across a range of analytical areas covering funds management, stock broking and investment banking.

David studied Engineering at the University of Sydney (1981 to 1984) under scholarship from Rio Tinto Limited (formally Peko-Wallsend), working underground at both the Warrego gold and copper mine in the Northern Territory and the Ellalong coal mine in the Hunter Valley. Upon graduating he joined Dupont in 1985 as an explosives engineer.

Between 1986 and 1994 David worked in a variety of roles within stockbroking and corporate finance beginning as an Mining Equities Analyst with Bain & Company (now Deutsche Bank) rising to mining strategist at McIntosh & Company (now Merrill Lynch). During this time he traveled globally, analysing large and small companies and speaking to fund managers about the merits of Australian companies.

Between 1994 and 2005 David worked within funds management in a variety of roles covering and involving equities analysis, equities portfolio management, equity and bonds funds management and private equity, business design and strategic planning with Westpac Investment Management, the Infrastructure & Specialised Funds Division of Macquarie Bank, QBE Insurance Group and Mint Financial Group. In both 1997 and 1998 the Corpscan Survey voted David one of the top three fund manager analysts in Australia.

Previous directorships include; Director of ChildFund Australia ("CFA", a child sponsorship charity), Alternate Director Airport Motorway (an entity associated with the Eastern Distributor tollway in Sydney), Alternate Director Interlink Roads (an entity associated with the M5 tollway in Sydney), Director Fat Prophets Australia Fund Limited, Director Fat Prophets Funds Management Australia Pty Limited.

David has a deep interest in Sustainable Responsible Investment ("SRI"). He was involved in the initial SRI studies when at Westpac Investment Management in the late 1990's and when a director with Fat Prophets Australia Fund Limited oversaw obtaining SRI certification from the Ethical Investment Association of Australia (now known as the 'Responsible Investment Association of Australasia') in 2005.

David currently holds the position of Chief Investment Officer and Executive Director with Atom. He is also a director of Atom's equity research hub, Indian Ocean Rim Asset Management (India) Pvt Ltd.  He is a Co-Founder of Atom.

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