Sparrows SCore MPS CIO Investment Update

Join us for an exclusive live webinar with Raymond Backreedy, Chief Investment Officer at Sparrows Capital, and Arnie Millington, Head of Business Development.

Gain timely insight into our evidence-based philosophy and robust investment framework as we review global markets in 2025, and look ahead to what could shape the second half of the year.

In this session, hear directly from our CIO as he reflects on a turbulent start to the year. Following a strong 2024, markets have been unsettled by renewed geopolitical tensions - including the tragic events and increased activity in the Middle East - shifting macro dynamics, and the return of protectionist trade policies under the new U.S. administration.

Ray will unpack the key drivers of recent volatility, including the market’s response to President Trump’s sweeping tariff measures and ongoing geopolitical developments, and the ripple effects across equities, currencies, and fixed income markets. He’ll also share his outlook on what could lie ahead for investors in this evolving environment.

We’ll take a deep dive into how the Sparrows Score MPS ranges have performed across Market, Factor, and Responsible portfolios, and share latest updates we believe advisers will find valuable.

Watch the recording to stay ahead of the curve.

Raymond Backreedy, Chief Investment Officer

Raymond Backreedy, our CIO at Sparrows Capital, has over 20 years of professional experience within the financial marketplace and leads our investment team and process, combining PhD-level expertise in mathematics, statistics, and engineering with strong logical reasoning; he joined us back in 2017.

His experience spans hands-on research, development, and management of quantitative models and portfolios across both traditional passive and alternative asset classes. Raymond was a founding partner at Evolutionary Trading and Tekio Capital.

He also served as a consultant to the executive committee and board of trustees of a major Dutch pension fund, where he was involved in quantifying the impact of regulatory changes on their investment processes.

Raymond holds a PhD and MEng in Fuel and Energy Engineering from the University of Leeds.

Arnie Millington, Head of Business Development

Arnie heads up our Business Development team at Sparrows, and has a wealth of experience working with advisers, planners and wealth managers, across all parts of the industry.

He joined us in July 2024 from 7IM where he looked after advisers in the North West and Central regions. Prior to that he was at Benchmark Capital responsible for distributing the Best Practice network, Fusion platform and Schroders Investment Solutions. Arnie’s career started at AJ Bell as an Investment Analyst and he was a BDM in the South East, covering the SIPP side as well as platforms and investment solutions.

Arnie is level 4 qualified with the IMC, and is currently working towards his Investment Advice Diploma too.

About Sparrows SCore MPS?

We are an independent Discretionary Fund Manager (DFM) offering a low cost, capped-fee evidence-based MPS to advisers. Our evidence-based portfolios are designed to deliver market returns consistently and efficiently.

We are dedicated to delivering a clear, transparent, and predictable evidence-based investment process, grounded in robust academic research and over 100 years of market data.

Our SCore MPS offers the high-quality investment process used by some of the world’s largest investors, delivering exceptional value to advisers and their clients at a time when cost scrutiny in the industry is increasing.

Product and pricing innovation

Unique pricing model: 0.10% per annum, capped at £20 per underlying client per month (available on certain platforms), with OCF’s starting from as little as 0.09%.

We are an independent DFM offering a low cost, capped-fee evidence-based MPS to advisers. Our evidence-based portfolios are designed to deliver market returns consistently and efficiently.

Breakthrough benefits

A fully independent offering, we begin with the whole of market universe, selecting best-in-class investment vehicles from multiple providers to support advisers’ client strategies.

Adviser-only, platform-based MPS using low-risk, liquid Index Funds and ETFs
Pioneers of Evidence-Based Investing
Ranges: Market, Factor (with tilts), and Responsible (with ESG/SRI filters)
Portfolios spanning the full risk spectrum (0% to 100% equity)
Selective currency hedging and inflation protection
Index fund only or index fund and ETF versions
Available on multiple platforms
Factor and Responsible ranges risk-rated by Defaqto for adviser mapping
Capped pricing structure, available on certain platforms, and evidence-based approach provide clear value.