Setanta Asset Management Ltd

Kieran Dempsey – Managing Director & Chief Investment Officer

Kieran joined Setanta Asset Management in January 2008 and is the Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer. He has 26 years investment experience, most recently as Chief Executive Officer of GE Asset Management Ltd. He had been with GE for 13 years, including seven years in Munich, Germany as Chief Investment Officer of GE Insurance Solutions. Prior to GE, Kieran worked at ABN Amro in London for 9 years in various investment roles, including 3 years as Head of Investments of Private Banking. Kieran holds a BA from University College Dublin. He is Chairman of Canada Life International Re Limited and a Director of Canada Life Irish Holding Company Limited. Kieran is a board member of the Irish Association of Investment Managers (IAIM).

David Byrne

David Byrne, CFA joined Setanta in 2007 and has 5 years experience in the asset management industry. In addition to managing the Global Consumer Discretionary sector, David also co-manages the European and EAFE equity funds. He has a BA in Economics and Geography from University College Dublin and an MSc in Finance from Leeds Metropolitan University.

David Coyne

David Coyne joined Setanta in 2006 and has 15 years investment experience. He began his career with AIB Investment Managers as a trainee fund manager, against the backdrop of the ‘TMT’ bubble in the late-90s. This experience continues to serve him as a lasting reminder of why it never pays to invest with the crowd or to pay premium prices for hype – key tenets of value investing. He has managed the Global Financials sector fund since joining the firm. In addition, David co-manages the concentrated equity fund Focus 15 and Setanta’s absolute return Long Haul Fund. David has a primary degree in Maths / Economics from Trinity College, Dublin and an MSc in Investment and Treasury from Dublin City University.

Richard Doyle

Richard Doyle, CFA joined Setanta in 2008. He co-manages Setanta’s various income-oriented portfolios, including the Dividend Fund, Income Opportunities Fund and Reditus. Richard is also responsible for management of the Global Energy sector within the Global Equity Fund. He began his career in 2000 as a trainee fund manager at Scottish Investment Trust. Prior to joining Setanta, he worked at Bank of Ireland Asset Management as an equity manager and senior analyst. Richard has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Dublin, Trinity College and has been a CFA Charterholder since 2003.

Gary Edge

Gary Edge, CFA joined Setanta in 2000. Gary has 12 years industry experience, being with Setanta for 11 of those. Since the end of 2007 he has worked as a trader on our front desk. This role focuses on Fixed Income, money market and FX trading. Recently he has been given responsibility for managing a number of our reinsurance Fixed Income portfolios under the guidance of David Ryan. Gary has a BBS from Dublin City University and is a CFA Charterholder.

Sean Kenzie

Sean Kenzie joined Setanta in 2010 and has 12 years experience in the asset management industry. In addition to co-managing the German Equity fund Sean also has sector responsibility for the Global Industrial and Materials sectors. He spent 11 years working in CHC Asset Management with the principal responsibility of running the CHC International Equity Fund. He has a BA Insurance and an MBA (Finance) from UCD Smurfit Business School.

John Looby

John Looby re-joined Setanta in 2007 having previously been with the firm from its foundation in 1998 to 2003. John is currently lead manager of our Global Equity suite, manager of our Global Telecom Services and Utilities sector, co-manager of our German Equity Fund and part of our 3-person multi-asset team. He has over 20 years experience in financial markets in roles spanning fixed income, absolute return and equities. With a primary degree in economics from UCD, he also has post-graduate qualifications in statistics and international relations from TCD and DCU, respectively.

Paul McNulty

Paul McNulty, CFA has been with Setanta since 2000, having spent just under two years with PricewaterhouseCoopers as a consultant. He is a dedicated proponent of the value investment philosophy and continues to develop his knowledge through both formal education and practical experience. Paul’s sector specialty is Global Consumer Staples and he is part of the High-Yield team. Paul also has extensive experience in the field of derivatives, successfully managing overwriting funds for several years. He has a BSc in Finance from Queens University Belfast (1997) and an MSc with distinction in Finance from Queens University Belfast (1998). He is a CFA Charterholder and a member of the Irish branch of the CFA Institute.

Diarmuid O’ Keeffe

Diarmuid O'Keeffe joined Setanta in 2007 as a Trader for the asset management team. Diarmuid has 12 years industry experience, working at Pioneer Investments and Coronation Capital before joining Setanta. Diarmuid has a Bcomm in Accounting & Finance, and an MBS in Strategic Management, both from University College Dublin. He has also completed the professional qualification for the Institute of Investment Management & Research.

David Ryan

David Ryan, CFA joined Setanta in 2003. He has 14 years experience in the asset management industry, covering equity, bond and cash mandates, most recently as a Fixed Interest manager at Swiss Re Asset Management. David’s sector responsibilities include all Fixed Interest & Cash mandates and forms part of our 3-person multi-asset team. He has a BBS Hons. (Finance) from Dublin City University and is a CFA Charterholder.

David Pastor

David Pastor joined Setanta Asset Management in 2007. He has 5 years experience in the asset management industry, the last 2 on an analyst/fund manager capacity. He has a BS in Business Administration from Universidad de Burgos and is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). David is also a candidate in the CFA program.

Fergal Sarsfield

Fergal Sarsfield,CFA joined Setanta in 2007 and has 13 years experience in the asset management industry. Fergal is responsible for the Global Technology sector and in addition to co-managing the European Equity Fund he also co-manages the EAFE Equity Fund. He spent 5 years working in KBC Asset Management mainly as an Asian Equity analyst before joining Setanta Asset Management in 2007. He has a BBS and is a CFA Charterholder.

Rowan Smith

Rowan Smith joined Setanta in 1998 and has 14 years experience in the asset management industry. Rowan is responsible for the Global Healthcare sector and has managed other global sector portfolios in the past. Rowan co-manages Focus 15, the European fund and the EAFE fund. He gained his BA in Accounting from the National College of Ireland in 1998 and completed the professional examinations of the Institute of Investment Management and Research in 2001.

Setanta Employees