What CDAM does

CDAM (UK) Limited is an independent, employee-owned global equity boutique founded in April 2006 by Adam Chamberlain and Scott Davies, headquartered in London's West End. The firm operates a single concentrated investment strategy, the Global Equity Strategy, which holds 15-25 attractively priced, fiscally conservative companies across developed markets with long holding periods. Its investment process is built on proprietary frameworks for identifying serial acquirers (systematic roll-ups) and organic compounders, supported by 15+ years of proprietary research including backtesting across 2012-2023 that demonstrates consistent alpha generation. CDAM is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and is registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission as an Investment Adviser, classified as a small and non-interconnected MIFIDPRU investment firm.

The firm generates revenue through bespoke investment management fees charged to professional and institutional clients, with pricing determined on a client-by-client basis. Its client base comprises long-term professional investors, family offices, wealth managers, and institutional allocators who use the strategy as an unconstrained alpha source or satellite return generator. Distribution is exclusively direct and relationship-based, supported by quarterly investor newsletters, periodic thought leadership articles, and individual team LinkedIn presence; no paid advertising or intermediary channels are used. The eight-to-nine-person team includes portfolio managers with CFA charters and advanced quantitative credentials, and is supported by a Non-Executive Chairman with prior long/short value investing experience.

Beyond managing client capital, CDAM has begun deploying firm capital into adjacent opportunities, including leading a £30 million seed round for Hyperlayer (a London-based banking infrastructure fintech) in October 2025. The firm maintains dual regulatory standing in the UK (FCA) and US (SEC), GDPR and GLBA compliance, and an employee-owned structure with no parent company. Operating geographies span the UK, North America (US, Canada), and Asia, supported by dedicated regional investor relations capability.

Name

CDAM

Legal name

CDAM (UK) Limited

Website

https://cdam.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CDAM is an independent, employee-owned London-based global equity boutique offering a single concentrated Global Equity Strategy that invests in serial acquirers and organic compounders across developed markets for professional and institutional investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Management Fees: CDAM generates revenue through investment management fees charged to clients for managing concentrated, long-term equity portfolios. As an FCA-authorized and SEC-registered investment adviser classified as an SNI MIFIDPRU Investment Firm, the firm operates under standard asset-management fee structures typical of boutique equity firms serving professional clients and institutional investors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CDAM manages concentrated, long-term equity portfolios for professional and institutional investors through its Global Equity Strategy. The firm invests in 15-25 attractively priced, fiscally conservative companies across developed markets, targeting serial acquirers and organic compounders led by CEOs with disciplined capital allocation track records. The strategy is delivered through bespoke investment management mandates backed by proprietary capital allocation and total shareholder return analytical frameworks.

Product overview

CDAM is an independent, employee-owned global equity boutique offering a single investment strategy: its Global Equity Strategy. The strategy is a concentrated, low-turnover equity portfolio investing in developed markets across all market capitalisations, focused on companies with proven capital allocation discipline and aligned management. There are no modular products, add-ons, or separate product lines—the firm maintains one unified investment approach built around identifying serial acquirers and organic compounders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Global Equity Strategy CDAM's core investment strategy consisting of a low turnover, highly concentrated portfolio of 15-25 attractively priced, fiscally conservative companies across developed markets. The strategy invests across the broad spectrum of market capitalisations with long holding periods, emphasising management's disciplined capital allocation track record, ownership alignment, ability to increase free cash flow per share, and sustainable organic or inorganic growth. It is designed for long-term professional and institutional investors seeking unconstrained alpha or a return generator for satellite portfolios.

Quantifiable outcome

• Portfolio companies reinvest 82% of profits (vs MSCI World 33%), implying 15% annualised earnings growth from ROE x reinvestment rate.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Artisan Partners: Large US-listed global equity boutique manager with multiple focused strategies. Broader incumbent competing in the same global-equity institutional channel as CDAM but with a wider product shelf and distribution scale.
• Columbia Threadneedle Investments: Large global asset manager with extensive global equity capabilities, strong UK and US institutional/wholesale distribution. Represents the larger-incumbent alternative competing for the same professional-investor mandates CDAM targets.
• Lazard Asset Management: Global asset manager with established global equity capabilities and broad institutional reach. Represents the larger incumbent alternative that competes with CDAM for institutional and family-office mandates.
• Jupiter Fund Management: UK-listed asset manager with a broad range of active equity strategies including concentrated global and UK equity approaches. Comparable UK base and professional-client channel to CDAM, but at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Ruffer LLP: London-based boutique investment manager with a long-term, value-oriented multi-asset approach and strong UK professional-client following. Comparable in boutique scale, UK base, and relationship-driven GTM.
• Polen Capital: Boutique manager of concentrated global equity portfolios emphasising quality compounders with long holding periods. Closely aligned with CDAM's focus on durable capital allocators.
• Harding Loevner: Global equity boutique with concentrated portfolios, fundamental research process, and strong institutional/wholesale distribution. Comparable to CDAM in product type and target market.
• Pzena Investment Management: US-based boutique specialising in concentrated global value equity with a classic compounder/cyclical-value orientation. Directly comparable to CDAM in philosophy (long-term, low-turnover, concentrated) and target client base (institutional and professional investors).
• Tweedy, Browne Company: Long-standing US boutique manager running concentrated global value portfolios with extremely low turnover and a focus on downside protection. Closely mirrors CDAM's long-term, capital-discipline-led approach to global equities.
• Sands Capital Management: US-based boutique focused on concentrated long-term growth equity investing in durable businesses. Comparable to CDAM in high-conviction, low-turnover philosophy targeting professional investors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cdam-llp

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CDAM