Charlie Porter, tall, lean and sporting a tan, sweeps into the oak-panelled board room at Thames River Capital, an asset management boutique in London’s West End.

Porter is speaking in a new role, as new broom at F&C Asset Management, the UK-quoted company that bought Thames River last year. While remaining chief executive of Thames River, Porter has joined F&C's executive committee, where he has a mandate for change as the person in charge of F&C's retail and wholesale fund business.