He joins after more than 30 years at JM Finn.

Church House is a London-based specialist investment firm integrating wealth and investment management services.

Mr Edgedale said: “I have known Church House increasingly well having for many years used their corporate bond fund as a cornerstone holding in most of my clients’ portfolios.

“I have always valued their focus on capital preservation and stable income generation, and I know that their disciplined approach to risk management underscores their whole approach to portfolio management, something of which I fully intend to continue taking advantage of.”

At JM Finn Mr Edgedale was a senior partner and went on to become chairman. He was instrumental in building the business from a small stockbroker into a significant wealth manager with £11bn of assets under management.

James Johnsen, director of wealth management at Church House, said: “I have long admired James for what he achieved at JM Finn and am delighted that he has chosen Church House for the next phase of his career.”

Jerry Wharton, chief executive at Church House, said: “Attracting someone of the stature of James is another important step forward in the fulfilment of our vision for Church House as being the natural home for clients and their managers who appreciate both our service ethos and the refreshing freedom to act that our size and market position afford us.”

The business is backed by the Cayzer Family Trust.

Mr Wharton said: “Our aim is to be the benchmark for success among independently owned investment specialists. To achieve that aim we need talented investment professionals like James and I look forward to seeing more people of his calibre joining in the near future.”

In July Robert Hunter joined Church House from Brown Shipley.