RIT Capital Partners plc, formerly Rothschild Investment Trust, is a British investment trust dedicated to investments in quoted securities and quoted special situations. Established in 1961, the company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. Sir James Leigh-Pemberton has been chairman since September 2019.
History
In 1961, the company was founded, on the initiative of Jacob Rothschild, to serve the English branch of the family Rothschild for investments outside their bank N M Rothschild & Sons: it was named "Rothschild Investment Trust".[1][2] In 1980, there was a conflict between Jacob Rothschild and Evelyn de Rothschild, then the head of N M Rothschild & Sons. Evelyn de Rothschild withdrew the money invested in the banking house of Rothschild Investment Trust and forbade the company to continue using the name Rothschild. Jacob Rothschild left the Board of N M Rothschild & Sons and took sole control of the Rothschild Investment Trust. In April 1982 the company bought the "Great Northern Investment Trust" and was subsequently renamed "RIT & Northern."[3]