People Sovereign Investment Research is a specialist, boutique alternative investments adviser and manager. We have a relatively flat team structure, consistent with our collegiate workplace culture. Our team includes: Managing Director, Ray King; Senior Advisor, John Peterson; Investment Consultant, Sarah Azzi; and Investment Consultant, Scott McNally. Ray King  Managing Director Ray King is the founder and a Principal of Sovereign and has worked in the industry for over 20 years. Through the 1990s, Ray was one of the more prominent asset consultants in Australia having joined Towers Perrin in 1990 where he was Manager, Asset Consulting. In 1994 he joined Gary Weaven to set up Industry Fund Services (IFS). As Head of Wholesale Business at IFS, Ray was responsible for the development of its asset consulting and funds management and advisory businesses and was the lead advisor to several industry superannuation funds. Ray has become the most experienced advisor on alternative assets in Australia and has worked with a number of superannuation funds since the mid-1990s (notably Sunsuper) to establish some of the largest alternative investment programs in Australia. Ray began his career at BHP in 1974 and his previous work experience also includes being Chief Economist for a major public authority. He was the founding Chairperson of the Australian Chapter of the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA) in 2000. Ray is a graduate of Monash University with an Honours Degree in Economics. John Peterson  Senior Advisor John Peterson joined Sovereign in March 2009. John is one of the most experienced investors in alternative assets in Australia, having managed and advised funds making significant investments in infrastructure, development property, hedge funds and private investments. John has extensive experience in the Australian financial industry, having joined the Reserve Bank in 1979. In 1983 he joined Bankers Trust Australia where he was one of the founders of the derivatives markets in Australia and spent 7 years as a member of BT Funds Management's Investment Committee responsible for alternative investments, risk management and investment consulting.   His subsequent work experience also includes being Head of Investment Management for the Commonwealth Bank's investment business and Head of Asset Consulting for an Australian research house. Most recently John was Chief Investment Officer and Chief Risk Officer for the listed hedge fund of fund business, Everest Financial Group. John is a graduate of the University of New South Wales with a First Class Honours Degree in Commerce majoring in Economics and Finance.  He was a founding member of the Institute of Quantitative Research in Finance (the Q Group). Sarah Azzi  Investment Consultant Sarah Azzi joined Sovereign as an Investment Consultant in January 2005. She graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney in 2003 with a Bachelor of Business (Honours). Previously, Sarah was a Research Analyst with Emeritus Professor Ron Bird at UTS where she co-authored a number of research papers on global equity markets. She was a full-time tutor at UTS in Economics and Finance. Sarah was a marketing research analyst for the International Marketing Country Study Program at UTS, an international marketing outsource group for Australian exporters. Sarah is currently completeing a PhD focussing on Private Equity and Venture Capital. Scott McNally  Investment Consultant Scott McNally joined Sovereign as an Investment Consultant in September 2007. He previously worked at the Reserve Bank of Australia (2003-2007) primarily undertaking research and analysis of domestic financial markets and the funds management industry. Most recently, he was a Senior Dealer in the market operations section of the RBA responsible for the implementation of monetary policy. Scott graduated with a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from the University of Western Sydney in 2003. He has worked in various operational roles in the financial markets group at Westpac. Scott has completed the CFA program.