Latest news with #Amati
The Herald Scotland
21 hours ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Date set for showdown in battle for Maven Renovar VCT
Maven Renovar claims that its former asset manager lost almost 10% of the trust's current market capitalisation on three "unquoted/pre-IPO" investments, the latest in a series of allegations against Amati. Read more: Amati maintains that "the real and most important question" is whether shareholders will be allowed to determine the best strategy for the company going forward. A general meeting to vote on the requisitioners' proposals has been set for August 13. The requisitioners are opposing the board's decision earlier this year to remove Amati as the manager of the VCT without a shareholder vote. Directors of investment trusts are not obliged to have a shareholder vote when changing fund management arrangements. The July 1 requisition request from the group led by Mr Jourdan came a week after shareholders of the venture capital trust voted to sack the board of Maven Renovar. They also rejected proposals for a switch to an "AIM Plus" investment strategy under the trust's new fund manager, Glasgow-based Maven Capital Partners. Previously known as the Amati AIM VCT, the fund's mandate is to invest in London's junior Alternative Investment Market (AIM). The new strategy would have seen the introduction of a pipeline of deals in private companies alongside investments in the junior market. Read more: The requisitioners are calling for the existing board of directors led by chair Fiona Wollocombe to be replaced by Mr Jourdan, Charles McMicking, Hector Kilpatrick and Kathleen McLeay. The current directors remain in place on a caretaker basis until new board members are elected. In a statement, Mr Jourdan and Mr McMicking said the events of the past few months have been the result of the board Maven Renovar acting without proper consultation with shareholders. Robert Legget, who was appointed to the board at the June meeting when the existing directors were voted out, said the central matter is the fund's under-performance while under Amati's management. "Shareholders have a very simple choice: to let the former investment manager, whose performance caused significant loss to the company, onto the board and into a conflicted position alongside other proposed directors selected by him/the requisitioners, or to agree with the independent board that a credible plan to halt this decline was in shareholders' best interests," Mr Legget said. "It is a critical function of an independent board that it selects and appoints investment managers in accordance with shareholders' best interests, and I commend the board for taking decisive action to address underperformance prior to my joining."
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Further news expected soon in latest Scots investment battle
Mr Jourdan and his team had been in charge of the VCT since its launch in 2005 as the First State AIM VCT. The fund, whose mandate is to invest in London's junior Alternative Investment Market (AIM), followed the team through a series of name changes and mergers prior to the 2010 establishment of Amati in Edinburgh, after which it became the Amati AIM VCT. Read more: The name changed again in May of this year when the board of directors led by chair Fiona Wollocombe appointed Glasgow-based Maven Capital Partners as the fund's new manager. Formed in 2009 from a management buyout of the private equity business of Aberdeen Asset Management, Maven has been owned by wealth manager Mattioli Woods since 2021. Shareholders did not have a chance to vote on the switch to Maven prior to the decision being implemented. Ms Wollocombe said at the time that Maven was selected because it was one of relatively few VCT fund managers with experience of both AIM and private capital investment. The past few years have been tough for AIM investors as liquidity in smaller companies has dried up, with small-cap stocks viewed as particularly vulnerable to higher inflation and rising interest rates. To counteract this, the board had proposed that under the new fund manager the VCT should switch to an "AIM Plus" strategy combining investments in the junior market with a pipeline of deals in private companies. Paul Jourdan said directors of Maven Renovar presented investors with a fait accompli However, this strategy was rejected by a majority of shareholders voting at the VCT's annual general meeting in June. In addition, Ms Wollocombe and fellow directors Julia Henderson and Brian Scouler failed to be re-elected, as did new board member prospect Neeta Patel. The remain in place on a caretaker basis until new directors are elected at another general meeting, the date of which could be confirmed next week. They have claimed that the cost of Amati's fees relative to the company's losses was 'wholly unsustainable' and there was therefore 'no choice' but to change manager. They further say that the defeated resolutions at the AGM would have likely passed but for a "significant portion" of dissenters who were employees, close friends or family of Amati, a claim that Amati has firmly refuted. A group of investors led by Mr Jourdan has now served a requisition calling for Ms Wollocombe, Mr Scouler, Ms Patel and fellow Maven Renovar VCT director Robert Legget to be replaced by Mr Jourdan, Charles McMicking, Hector Kilpatrick and Kathleen McLeay. Read more: 'To see a former investment manager with such a dismal recent track record now seek to appoint himself and two of his fellow requisitioners to the board is quite extraordinary,' Mr Leggett said earlier this week. 'Taken together, the proposed resolutions themselves are designed to be board-controlling and represent a nil premium takeover by a very small minority of shareholders and are not in the interests of shareholders as a whole.' Mr Jourdan, however, maintains that the current board erred significantly in failing to give shareholders a vote on the change of manager and investment strategy. 'The difference here is the change of manager was made in order to make a change to the investment policy," he told reporters earlier this week. "The signatories to [our requisition notice] believe that the board should have given shareholders a vote on the change of investment policy before they made the change of manager, rather than presenting a fait accompli. 'The reason why the board were voted out at the AGM was because shareholders would rather make their own decision about buying a VCT with a different strategy. They wish this VCT to remain focused on AIM.'
Daily Mirror
05-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Doctor's warning to anyone who takes omega-3 pills
Dr Federica Amati has warned about the potential risks of using supplements Dr Federica Amati, chief nutrition scientist at Zoe Health, has issued a warning to people who take omega-3 supplements. Earlier this year, the expert joined Davina McCall on her Begin Again podcast, where she spoke about the pitfalls she sees with people who take vitamins and nutrients in pill form. During the chat, Dr Amati shared her concerns and said: "Taking a supplement is easier than changing your diet... People take supplements and then they think 'okay, I've done my bit'." She added that many continue with unhealthy habits like poor diets, excessive drinking, lack of sleep, and inactive lifestyles. Dr Amati continued: "That supplement, in the grand scheme of things, is going to have a very marginal effect on your health." Her comments come as recent figures show almost half of UK adults regularly take supplements. The expert also recommends getting nutrients from food over pills, highlighting the difference with omega-3 intake. The doctor pointed to a "really good long-running clinical trial" that looked into whether omega-3 supplements deliver on their health promises, such as cutting down risks of cancers, heart disease, and mortality. She concluded: "It doesn't do it. It doesn't do it in the same way that eating fish does." Omega-3 fatty acids have an abundance of benefits, including supporting heart health, improving dry skin and eyes, lowering inflammation in the body. The NHS adds that omega-3s are "also important for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, because it can help a baby's nervous system to develop". Health chiefs recommend you eat "at least two portions of fish a week, including one of oily fish". If you don't like seafood, other omega-3 sources include flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts, soybeans, and spinach.
Daily Mirror
11-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Nutritionist shares 'the new 5-a-day' we should all eat
These foods have been linked to lower rates of cardiovascular disease, dementia, and even cancer A leading nutritionist has revealed the 'new five-a-day' we should all be eating. According to the expert, incorporating these foods into your routine ensures you are getting a healthy nutritionally balanced diet. We are all well aware of the five-a-day campaign that encourages us to eat at least five fruit and vegetables every day. This Government-backed initiative was launched in 2003 and is still cited by health bodies such as the NHS when it comes to having a healthy diet. While it is still important to eat as many fruits and vegetables a day as possible, a nutritionist has expanded on what we should be eating by sharing the 'new five-a-day'. In a video shared to her Instagram, Dr Federica Amati - head nutritionist at Zoe Health - explained more. She said: 'I often get asked about what I eat as a nutritionist. I am not a chef so these are not recipes that are designed to be beautiful masterpieces but this is how I think about the principles of pulling a meal together. 'What I try to do is include the new five-a-day.' According to Dr Amati, this should include: Whole grains - such as quinoa, oats, and barley Fruits or vegetables Nuts and seeds Legumes - such as beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas Healthy fats - such as extra virgin olive oil, and oily fish. Her recommendation is in line with what is known as the Mediterranean diet, which is often considered to be the healthiest diet in the world. This diet prioritises plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains, alongside moderate amounts of lean proteins, fish, and low-fat dairy. Olive oil is also a staple of the Mediterranean diet. Multiple scientific studies have looked into the health benefits of this diet, which include lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, obesity and even cancer. In her video, Dr Amati shared a simple 10-minute recipe that incorporates all five of the food groups. To make this meal yourself you will need: Quinoa Nuts and seeds Sweetheart cabbage (or any leafy greens) Black beans (or any legumes) Tinned sardines (or any oily fish) Extra virgin olive oil Spring onion Tomatoes A lemon or lemon juice Salt. Get dietary advice straight to your WhatsApp! With health trends constantly chopping and changing, the Mirror has launched its very own Health & Wellbeing WhatsApp community where you'll get dietary advice, health updates and exercise news straight to your phone. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. She started by adding half a cup of quinoa to some salted water in a pan on the stove. Next she chopped some sweetheart cabbage and added this to the water. Dr Amati said: 'I'm just going to take some leaves of a very simple, sweetheart cabbage. If you like kale, if you like cavolo nero, that's great. Free chop this here. 'We can literally add it in with the quinoa and it will be tender by the time the quinoa is done.' She then opened a jar of black beans and added them to a bowl. 'This can be any bean or it can be chickpeas,' she clarified. However, she warned: 'If you're starting with beans, and you're not used to them, stick to just one spoon for the first few days and then increase the amount as you get used to it.' To the bowl she added some chopped spring onion and tomatoes, and then sprinkled some lemon juice on top. She also added some tinned sardines. Dr Amati said: 'I love using tinned fish because usually the smaller fish are more sustainable. They are delicious, they tend to be affordable and they didn't require cooking. 'Of course, if you can get them in extra virgin olive oil, great. Otherwise, they often come in lemon and oil, or in tomatoes. Just be sure that they don't have lots of added sugar to them when you check.' By this point the cabbage had wilted and the quinoa was cooked. She drained this and added it to the rest of the bowl with a drizzle of olive oil. She added: 'You've got some greens, you've got lovely colours. A really delicious variety of polyphenols and proteins, healthy fats, fibres, and the finishing touch, always for me is a delicious drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.' For 'extra crunch' she sprinkled some sunflower and pumpkin seeds on top. 'There you have it - an easy peasy under 10-minute, nutritionally balanced, and delicious lunch.'
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
5 high-protein, high-fiber foods a top nutritionist eats regularly instead of meat for better gut health
A top nutritionist thinks we should focus on where we get our protein, not how much we eat. Dr. Federica Amati focuses on eating plant proteins more than animal proteins. She shared some of the plant protein sources that she regularly eats, including oats and chia seeds. You don't need to be scoffing steaks or gorging on protein shakes to get enough of the macronutrient — a top nutritionist says plant-based protein is the best kind, and better for your gut health than meat, too. Federica Amati, Ph.D., is the lead nutritionist at ZOE, a science and nutrition company, and a postdoctoral medical scientist at Imperial College London. Hitting protein targets is currently a huge health trend. But Amati told Business Insider that most people get enough, and don't need to worry about eating more protein unless they're an athlete or actively trying to change their body composition. But where people get their protein from matters, she said. Amati referred to a 2024 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition involving 50,000 healthy nurses aged 30-55 at the start of the study, between 1984 and 2016. The nurses who ate more protein, and specifically plant protein, had a higher chance of being free from 11 major chronic diseases, having good mental health, and not having cognitive or physical impairments as they aged. Meanwhile, participants who ate more animal protein had an increased risk of chronic disease. This finding is echoed in a 2021 study by researchers at the University of Oxford, published in the journal BMC Medicine. The 474,985 middle-aged British participants who ate more red and processed meat were more likely to develop heart disease, pneumonia, diabetes, and growths in the colon. Participants who ate more poultry were at higher risk of gastrointestinal diseases and diabetes, the study found. Amati said the results of the 2024 study suggested that the health benefits came from eating more fruit, vegetable, and whole foods, not protein. The researchers argued this could be because the dietary fiber, micronutrients, and polyphenols in plant foods are associated with positive health effects, including reduced low-density lipoprotein, or "bad," cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and decreased inflammation. Amati still has animal-based proteins: She eats oily fish twice a week, and eggs and fermented dairy — kefir and Greek yogurt specifically — regularly. But most of her protein comes from plants, she said. Even if you don't go fully plant-based, research suggests it's possible to make a "huge" reduction in your chronic disease risk by replacing some animal protein with plants, Amati said. She shared some of the best sources of high-fiber plant protein that she eats regularly. Nutritional yeast, or "nooch," is deactivated yeast that has a cheesy flavor and contains B vitamins. "It's a nice example of a food that has both protein and fiber," Amati said. In terms of nutritional value, 100 grams of nooch contains about 50 grams of protein and about 20 grams of fiber. A dietitian who follows the Mediterranean diet previously told BI she incorporates nooch into her diet by sprinkling it on savory dishes as a cheese replacement. Amati's colleague at ZOE, the gut health expert Tim Spector, uses it instead of bouillon cubes to add flavor to his cooking. Soy products are good sources of protein and fiber. For example, there are about 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber in 100 grams of edamame beans, and around 20 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber in 100 grams of tempeh. And 100 grams of tofu contains about 8 grams of protein but less than 1 gram of fiber. A 2020 study looking at 210,000 people, published in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal, found that participants who ate at least one serving of tofu a week had a lower risk of heart disease than those who ate it less than once a month. The researchers suggested that this may have been because the estrogen-like compounds in tofu could have led to effects that mirror the beneficial effects of estrogen in women who weren't taking supplemental hormones — or because the fiber and minerals found in tofu help to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Amati often eats oatmeal or overnight oats in the morning, adding kefir, chia seeds, and fruit. When it comes to nutrition, 100 grams of steel-cut oats contain about 10 grams of fiber and 12 to 13 grams of protein. Oats also contain a type of soluble fiber called beta-glucan, which has been associated with reductions in LDL, or "bad" cholesterol. Amati eats legumes every day as part of her personalized "five a day" target for gut health. She often eats lentils or canned beans with whole grains and leafy greens at lunch. Different types of beans have different nutrient contents, but 100 grams of canned chickpeas contains around 7 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. Nuts and seeds are also part of Amati's five a day. She said chia seeds are high in macronutrients: they have around 17 grams of protein and 30 grams of fiber per 100 grams of dry seeds. To incorporate nuts and seeds into her day, Amati keeps a bag of mixed nuts in her bag at all times to eat as a snack, and she sprinkles nuts on her morning oatmeal. Read the original article on Business Insider
