People

Darron Mitchell, CFA, CA, FRM, BMS

Managing Director, Valyrian Wealth

Darron is a highly experienced investment professional, bringing extensive expertise from the world’s leading financial markets. After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in New Zealand, Darron moved into Banking and Investment Management roles in London, Hong Kong, & Sydney before returning to New Zealand with his family at the end of 2020.

In Sydney, Darron ran the BT Investment Management Equity Income series of funds managing over $1 billion in Assets. The funds were invested in blue-chip Australian equities and used an overlay of derivatives to reduce overall risk exposure while providing regular monthly income for investors. Darron also provided consultancy to Australian Superannuation funds on how to add protection against large market falls. After leaving BT, Darron set up Convexity Partners with a BT colleague to continue providing risk management advice.

In Hong Kong, Darron held a Senior Portfolio Manager role for DragonBack Capital, a multi-strategy hedge fund investing in shares and derivatives in the Asia Pacific Region. DragonBack won the best new Asian hedge fund in 2008, providing positive returns for investors through the Global Financial Crisis of 2007 to 2008.

Prior to DragonBack in Hong Kong, he held Vice President roles at Morgan Stanley as a convertible bond trader, and at Deutsche Bank as a proprietary trader, investing the firm’s capital in multiple asset classes across Asia-Pacific.

In London, Darron was a risk manager for Credit Suisse, overseeing the Bank’s global equity and fixed-income trading positions. Prior to the role, he had worked at IFM Asset Management, a European-focused Hedge fund, initially as a fund accountant before moving into a junior PM role.

Darron has experienced a wide range of market conditions throughout his time managing investments. He has had to navigate times of crisis, including the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 90s, the dot-com bubble burst of 2001 and the Global Financial Crisis from 2007 – 2008. In addition to these difficult times, there have been incredible bull markets that provide great opportunities for wealth creation. This experience of contrasting market conditions is valuable in both managing risk in troubled times and identifying investment opportunities when conditions are more favourable.

Darron returned to New Zealand at the end of 2020 and looked to manage his own investments. Having looked at the local Wealth Management industry the gap in the market for truly independent and capable wealth management became apparent. This led Darron to set up Valyrian Wealth to offer his experience and capability to clients seeking to navigate the investment markets to achieve their financial goals.

Qualifications

CFA Chartholder
CA (New Zealand)
FRM ( Financial Risk Manager)
CFA Certificate in Private Markets and Alternatives
New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services (Level 5) [Version 2]
Bachelor of Management Studies (University of Waikato)