US Capital · Markets · AI

James Bennett

James Bennett is Chief Executive Officer of Oakwood Family Office, combining global macro research, institutional portfolio management, multi-asset allocation, and family wealth strategy with a disciplined focus on capital preservation, risk management, and long-term investment opportunities.

Global Macro Strategy Asset Allocation Family Wealth AI & Digital Assets
Overview Career Research & Focus
James Bennett portrait
Profile James Bennett
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EXPERIENCE
30+ years
REGION
Global Markets
EDGE
Risk Discipline
01

Overview

Perspective

James Bennett approaches investing as a long-term exercise in capital stewardship rather than a search for short-lived market opportunities. His philosophy prioritizes capital preservation, liquidity, disciplined risk management, and portfolio resilience across economic cycles while still seeking sustainable appreciation from structural global opportunities.

Method
  • A Assess global economic cycles, interest rates, capital flows, valuations, and structural market changes.
  • B Combine top-down macroeconomic analysis with bottom-up fundamental research before committing capital.
  • C Construct diversified portfolios around liquidity, correlations, downside risk, and multigenerational objectives.
Biography

Bennett began his career in global equity research at HSBC before moving into senior portfolio management at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Julius Baer Group. He later served in London as Head of a Central Investment Team and Deputy Chief Investment Officer at a Rockefeller-affiliated organization. He now leads Oakwood Family Office as CEO and is a CFA® charterholder with degrees from the University of Exeter.

02

Career

  • Global Equity Research at HSBC

    Bennett began his career as a Global Equity Research Analyst, building expertise in company fundamentals, valuation, economic analysis, and the interaction between global macro conditions and equity markets.

  • Senior Portfolio Management

    At Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Julius Baer Group, he worked as a Senior Portfolio Manager with exposure to long/short equity strategies, hedge funds, institutional portfolios, and sophisticated risk-management frameworks.

  • Deputy CIO and Central Investment Team Head

    In London, Bennett led a central investment team at a Rockefeller-affiliated organization and served as Deputy Chief Investment Officer, overseeing independently managed, multi-currency portfolios across global asset classes.

  • CEO of Oakwood Family Office

    Bennett currently leads Oakwood Family Office, shaping strategic direction and investment frameworks for high-net-worth families with an emphasis on capital preservation, liquidity, sustainable growth, and multigenerational wealth stewardship.

03

Research & Focus

Global Macro & Capital Cycles
Bennett studies economic cycles, monetary policy, interest rates, capital flows, market valuations, and cross-asset relationships. His objective is to understand how changes in the global economy influence risk, expected returns, liquidity conditions, and strategic portfolio allocation over complete market cycles.
Family Capital & Portfolio Resilience
His family wealth framework emphasizes diversification, liquidity management, downside protection, asset correlations, and long-term capital objectives. Portfolios are designed around each family's financial circumstances and risk tolerance rather than a standardized return target or short-term benchmark.
AI, Digital Assets & Structural Change
Bennett views artificial intelligence as a structural investment force affecting semiconductors, computing infrastructure, energy, finance, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. He also follows blockchain, Bitcoin, Ethereum, tokenization, and the evolving relationship between traditional and digital capital markets.

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