Andrew Gray has worked in a range of business and technology roles in both 'front-office' and 'group-level' functions. His core technical skills include 15 years of experience in quantitative analysis and mathematical modelling, risk management; and also with computer systems, software design, systems architecture, data modelling and object-oriented programming.

He founded RCRT, which provides technology and consultancy services in a number of areas, including: software engineering, risk management, portfolio analysis and economic capital techniques. He also designs and develops our software products, and sometimes undertakes custom software development work.

Andrew is also on the advisory board of Andromeda Capital.

Andrew was a graduate student at Churchill College, Cambridge; and was awarded a PhD for his research work at the Cavendish Laboratory. He then worked for a consultancy company based in Cambridge, primarily on the use of lasers in defence and biotechnology.

He then moved to work in the City, working in the areas of: quantitative analysis, derivatives analysis, risk analysis, portfolio risk / economic capital analysis, and computer systems. He has also been both the 'Head of Group Risk (Management) Technology' for the Natwest Group, and the 'Head of (Group) Risk-Adjusted Portfolio Analysis' for the Royal Bank of Scotland Group - he left RBS in 2003.

Contact

Andrew can be contacted using the details that are given on our Contact Us page, or he can be contacted directly by email at: .

The Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University

Andrew was a graduate student working in an astrophysics research group at the Cavendish Laboratory (the department of physics) at Cambridge University. There he developed techniques for performing earth-based experiments enabling the high-resolution spectral analysis of very low pressure gases in the (intrinsically extremely weak) radio-frequency region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Such measurements give insights into the detailed quantum-mechanical structure of the materials being studied, and the nature and composition of the inter-stellar medium.

Following an initial theoretical analysis, he devised a means of performing high-resolution laboratory measurements of these effects using multi-photon laser-radiofrequency quantum-multiresonance techniques. Based on this analysis, he then designed and constructed a device at the Cavendish Laboratory, which enabled measurements to be made on gases at pressures of less than one millionth of an atmosphere and at a resolution one hundred times better than had previously been available using comparable methods.

The experimental results subsequently obtained using these techniques enabled the author to analyse and model the hyperfine spectral structures of selected molecular gases with extreme accuracy. This work also involved extensive computer modelling of the quantum molecular systems being analysed.

The author was then the first to directly measure a previously theoretical form of symmetry-based nuclear-molecular hyperfine interaction. He then theoretically derived and subsequently experimentally confirmed the presence of an additional molecular nuclear-magnetic molecular spin-vibration interaction.

The author was awarded a PhD in Physics from Cambridge University for this work, which was subsequently also published by the Royal Society.

The City of London

The author then moved to the City as a quantitative analyst. In 1990 he designed and implemented a system for computing and automatically back-testing FX portfolio risk in a London bank's Treasury department. The method used is what would later become more widely known and accepted as VAR or Value-At-Risk. This was some years in advance of these methods being generally recognised and then adopted as a regulatory requirement.

The author then worked as a front-office derivatives analyst, responsible for the pricing and analysis of exotic equity derivatives and structured products. He was also responsible for relevant systems specification, technology liaison, and quantitative elements within various pricing and risk management systems.

In 1999 the author was asked to join NatWest at a time when it was necessary to significantly strengthen and enhance the overall Group Risk function, particularly with respect to exploiting the best use of technology. He then took on the role of head of Group Risk (Management) Technology. He was then responsible for the development of a technology strategy, and an accompanying technical architecture, to address the Group's strategic data and analytic processing requirements for risk-management.

This strategy recommended the use of a distributed service-based architecture and parallel computing techniques, using methods very similar to what would now be known as SOA and Grid computing. Such methods are now becoming much more widely recognised and adopted.

The author then changed role to become the head of (Group) Risk-Adjusted Portfolio Analysis, where, amongst other things, he designed and implemented a high-speed credit portfolio risk analysis system in anticipation, and in advance of, the Basel-2 process.

RCRT: Risk-Capital Research & Technology

Andrew founded RCRT, and has been responsible for our products and services; including the specification, design and implementation of all of our software products, this web-site and all of the material on it. He is a member of a number of technology enterprise groups in the Cambridge area, and is an invited member of the Microsoft Partner Research Panel.

He is married with two daughters, and now lives in the small village of Barley (near Royston) in North Hertfordshire, UK.

Other Activities and Recreational Interests

Andrew was a member of the territorial army for a number of years in the 1980s, and passed the Parachute Regiment's infamous P-Company selection course in 1984.

Andrew's current interests are more sedate, and include walking and horse riding.