John Ions

John Ions has been Chief Executive Officer of asset manager Liontrust Asset Management Plc since May 2010. He is a skilled leader with proven expertise in mergers and acquisitions, integrating acquired businesses, regulation and distribution.

Under his leadership, Liontrust has expanded its investment capability and developed a clear approach. Each team applies distinct, robust and repeatable investment processes to managing portfolios with high conviction for the long-term benefit of clients. Since 2010, Liontrust has invested in and grown its sales and marketing capabilities, becoming one of the most recognised brands in the UK and winning group and fund awards over many years. In 2021 alone, Liontrust won Asset Manager of the Year at the Financial News Awards, the Best Fund Group at the Shares Awards, and Global Group of the Year at the Investment Week Fund Manager of the Year Awards.

John Ions’ career began at Henderson with responsibility for marketing its offshore range of funds in Europe and to UK clients. He designed and structured the new offshore umbrella fund (Henderson Horizon Fund) and established the company’s administration office in Luxembourg. This led to him being appointed Head of UK sales at Thornton Investment Management from 1990 to 1993.

Having joined Prolific Asset Management in 1993 as Head of UK Sales, John Ions was responsible for rebuilding its distribution structure and capability after its sale to Scottish Provident. The business quickly became one of the top 10 providers and John’s sales and marketing role became global in 1995 as he took on responsibility for Europe and Asia. Following the acquisition by Aberdeen Asset Management, John was responsible for global mutual fund distribution and merging the unit trust and investment trust sales, marketing and administration departments of the two businesses.

In 1998, he co-founded SG Asset Management (SGAM), where John Ions was Joint Managing Director and Chief Executive of SG Unit Trusts Limited and was responsible for setting up the retail division. SGAM was one of the fastest growing and most high-profile asset managers, attracting over £5 billion in AuMA in under three years.

He was Chief Executive of Tactica Fund Management from 2005 until he joined Liontrust in 2010. Tactica was seeking to address new attitudes to investment management through distributing multi asset class funds via financial advisers and strategic partnerships.

John Ions graduated from City London Polytechnic with a Higher National Diploma in Business and Finance, a Diploma in Management Studies, and became MCIM qualified.