Aged 15, Bernerd went to work for Dorrington Investment Trust, with his heart "set on a career in property". In 1986, he co-founded Chelsfield, which, in 1988, bought
Wentworth Golf Club for £17.7 million Bernerd sold 40% of the club to Japanese investors, raising £32 million, in 1989. In 1993, Chelsfield acquired the
Merry Hill Shopping Centre project, putting up £35 million, alongside £120 million from a group of
Saudi Arabian investors (from whom Bernerd received a £6 million finder's fee). Chelsfield later bought out the Saudi investors. According to
Institutional Investor, Bernerd was a client of a Jersey-based offshore trust company La Hougue which engaged in tax minimisation through legal as well as illegal loopholes and other avoidance measures. ==Personal life==