Bob Finch

Robert 'Bob' Finch is the Head of Coal Trading at leading energy trading company The Vitol Group. He was born in the London suburb of Kingston-upon-Thames in 1954 as the son of an RAF fighter. After leaving school at the age of 17, Finch started working as entry level junior at Petrofina. Over the years he acquired all of the necessary skills around trading and worked his way up to the position of trader. Finch joined Vitol in 1979 as the Rotterdam-based trader began its international growth. Oil trading was in its infancy then, and Finch was key to shaping the market development and enabling Vitol’s growth. For many years, he was head of trading and has served on its board for 15 years. Finch was instrumental in establishing Vitol’s entry into the coal markets in 2007.^[1] In January 2012, Finch was involved in the agreement between Vitol Anker International BV and Vitol Mauritius Limitada (“Vitol”) and Grindrod Limited of South Africa (“Grindrod”) whereby Vitol a 35% interest in the company which owns the Maputo coal terminal concession. In addition Vitol and Grindrod entered into a partnership (65% Vitol / 35% Grindrod) to combine their respective sub Saharan coal trading businesses.^[2][3]

Finch is a family man with 5 children. He is a supporter of Chelsea Football Club - as are all his family. Stamford Bridge athletics stadium was the venue of his parents' first date in 1947.

Business Interests

Finch is the co-founder of investment adviser Talis Capital,^[4] which manages the Finch family’s private wealth, as well as Finch Investments Limited (FIL),^[5] the exclusive Investment Manager for the privately held, Jersey based JadenFinch Limited (JFL). Finch Investments focus on the following sectors: Agriculture, Recycling, Natural Resources, Alternative Energy, Mining, Shipping, Manufacturing - Industrial and Consumer, Business Outsourcing and Financial Services. On 3 July 2009, JFL completed their first investment deal with Enselco, an agricultural business in the Ukraine. In September 2010 JFL successfully sold Enselco Group for $52m cash net.^[6] This marked JFL’s first exit since their inception in 2009 .

Charitable Work

Finch is a supporter of multiple charities, most notably The Generations foundation and the Vitol Foundation ^[7] which supports charities involved in health improvement and disability as well as the promotion of clean water and sanitation to the communities where Vitol operate. In 2005, he co-founded charity Oil Aid with Michael Holland and Mark Thompson, which over the years has supported a variety of charities. Their main focus is on medical and children's charities, including Cherry Lodge Cancer Care Centre, the Willow Foundation and The Prince's Trust.^[8] The same year, Bob Finch and his wife Rohini set-up the Generations Charity.^[9] Their aim is to provide a better quality of life for disabled, ill or disadvantaged children in the UK as well as abroad.

Finch is also an ambassador for the World Land Trust, an international conservation charity and a supporter of Lashings Wold XI,^[10] a cricket club in Kent, England.

References