Gold markets and career lessons learnt along the way with John Reade and Ben Ashby
Wednesday 21 October 2026 | 18:00 - 20:30 | Evening Event
This event is in partnership with World Gold Council and Henderson Rowe
What can investors learn from someone who has spent a career at the intersection of mining, markets, portfolio management and global strategy?
Join CFA UK for an evening with John Reade, Senior Market Strategist at the World Gold Council, and Ben Ashby, ASIP, Chief Investment Officer, Henderson Rowe. From mining engineer to fund manager, and now one of the world's leading commentators on gold markets, John's career has spanned every major part of the gold value chain. In this conversation, he will share his views on the forces shaping the gold market today, the role of gold in investment portfolios, and the lessons he has learned along the way.
During the discussion, we will explore:
- How the gold market works and how it has developed over the years
- Why gold is not just another mined commodity
- The strategic vs tactical case for gold in portfolios
- The lessons from John’s career that CFA UK members should learn
Whether you're interested in asset allocation, macroeconomic trends, commodities investing, or professional development, this event offers a unique opportunity to gain insights from a leader whose career has traversed multiple disciplines and market cycles.
Speakers:
John Reade, Market Strategist, World Gold Council Ben Ashby, MBA, Chief Investment Officer
John Reade is the World Gold Council Market Strategist for Europe and Asia and has been with the WGC since 2017, based in our London office. John is responsible for developing and shaping strategy about gold and engaging with all aspects of the gold market and is one of the principal spokespeople for the organisation.
John has over 35 years’ experience in the gold industry and has worked for gold mining companies across production and project evaluation; for Investment Banks as an Equity Analyst and Gold Strategist; and at an Asset Manager as Gold Strategist and Portfolio Manager.
John has a degree in Mining Engineering from the Royal School of Mines, a constituent of Imperial College, London.
As Chief Investment Officer, Ben works closely with Jason Hsu and Phil Wool on the research and implementation of Rayliant’s investment strategies into Henderson Rowe’s portfolios. As Head of Fixed Income at Rayliant, Ben also coordinates with their Investment team—leveraging their latest data science techniques to further the investment objectives of institutional and private clients.
Previously, Ben held a Managing Director position in JPMorgan’s Chief Investment Office, which oversees the bank’s own long-term investments. Prior to JPMorgan, Ben was Managing Director and Head of European Credit Research at HSBC where he focused on fixed income, currency, commodity, and multi-asset research. Ben first started his career in emerging markets whilst working with Credit Suisse First Boston.
As an expert in complex investment and risk analysis, Ben has extensive experience dealing with troubled asset portfolios and the major financial crises of the last 25 years—including the Asia/Emerging Markets Crisis of ’97-’98, the Dotcom Bust and the Global Financial Crisis. In 2006, he rightly flagged up concerns about the US sub-prime market in research notes to clients. Ben regularly contributes opinion pieces for Bloomberg, Nikkei Asia and the Chartered Institute of Financial Analysts.
In addition to earning a BSc and MA, Ben holds a MBA from the University of Cambridge. Ben sits on the Board of Advisors and is a Director for the Centre for Financial History at the University of Cambridge. He also co-heads the CFA UK’s working group on the ‘Future of Money’ and is Treasurer for Kent County Rugby Union. Ben served 9 years in the Territorial Army as a Forward Observation Officer for the Honourable Artillery Company.
Outside of work Ben enjoys refereeing rugby and mountain biking.
