Credit Suisse a annoncé ce 2 octobre la nomination de Roman Reichel au poste de responsable marketing et sponsoring pour la Suisse. Dès le début de 2019, Roman Reichelt apportera au groupe suisse toute l’expérience acquise chez le suisse Migros, où il dirigeait le marketing et la communication depuis près de trois ans, indique un communiqué.Roman Reichelt aura pour mission d’informer la clientèle sur l’offre de services et de conseil ainsi que sur les activités de sponsoring du groupe. Il sera rattaché directement à Thomas Gottstein, directeur de l’entité suisse de Credit Suisse.

MEAG, la société de gestion d’actifs du réassureur allemand Munich Re, a annoncé, ce 1er octobre, la nomination de Thomas Kurtz, 52 ans ans, en qualité de « managing director » et de responsable de la division dédiée à la gestion des portefeuilles. Cette nomination sera effective à compter du 1er janvier 2019. Jusque-là, l’intéressé était responsable de la gestion des mandats de réassurance chez MEAG et, par ailleurs, co-président de MEAG New York.Thomas Kurtz est impliqué dans la gestion des investissements de Muniche Re depuis 1996, avant de prendre des fonctions à responsabilité à partir de 1998. En 2003, il est ainsi nommé responsable de la gestion des mandats de réassurance chez MEAG. L’année suivante, il rejoint le conseil d’administration de MEAG New York dont il devient le co-président en 2017.

Le gestionnaire d’actifs allemand DWS vient de lancer un fonds ESG (environnement, social, gouvernance) axé sur les petites capitalisations, a appris Citywire Selector. Baptisé DWS Invest ESG European Small/Mid Cap, ce nouveau véhicule a été officiellement dévoilé le 1er octobre 2018. Il est géré par l’équipe en charge des petites et moyennes capitalisations européennes, basée à Francfort et dirigée par Philipp Schweneke. Cette nouvelle stratégie cible les émetteurs qui se concentrent tout particulièrement sur les thèmes environnementaux, sociaux et de gouvernance d’entreprise.

Oddo BHF-Bank a nommé Peter Haid au poste de responsable régional du sud de l’Allemagne pour la gestion de fortune, a appris Private Banking Magazin. Peter Haid, qui prendra ses fonctions début novembre, remplace à ce poste Stefanie Salata. Les deux autres grandes régions sont sous la responsabilité de Matthias Scheffner (nord et nord-ouest et est) et le patron du wealth management Joachim Häger (centre).Peter Haid, 54 ans, travaillait dernièrement pour la société de conseil Freitag & Co, dont il a occupé la direction générale pendant environ trois ans, après avoir été membre du directoire de BW-Bank, où il avait en charge les activités de private banking. Il a également développé l’offre de gestion de fortune d’une filiale de la banque publique régionale LBBW.A noter par ailleurs le départ de Kim Comeyne du groupe franco-allemand. L’intéressé était depuis près de deux ans le responsable de l’antenne de Düsseldorf d’Oddo BHF.

La société de gestion danoise Danske Bank Asset Management renforce son équipe de distribution en Allemagne avec la nomination d’Ilona Wachter au poste de «director business development», rapporte le site spécialisé Das Investment. Dans ses nouvelles fonctions, Ilona Wachter, qui est rattachée à Marc Homsy, responsable de la distribution, aura en charge la clientèle institutionnelle. Elle sera basée à Francfort.Ilona Wachter travaillait précédemment chez Assenagon Asset Management, où elle tait managing director responsable de la distribution institutionnelle. Elle dispose d’une expérience de plus de 27 ans, essentiellement dans l’univers institutionnel, et a aussi travaillé chez IQAM Invest, Muzinich, BNP Paribas Asset Management, DZ Bank ou encore UniCredit.

State Street Corporation a nommé Angela Summonte senior vice president et responsable Asset Owner et Official Institutions Sector Solutions pour l’Europe, le Moyen-Orient et l’Afrique. Depuis Francfort, elle sera rattachée à Maria Cantillon, responsable Sector Solutions pour la région.A ce poste, Angela Summonte aura la responsabilité de guider la stratégie commerciale de la société dans les secteurs Asset Owner et Official Institutions au sein de la région Europe, Moyen-Orient et Afrique. Avant cela Angela Summonte a travaillé au sein de la succursale allemande de BNP Paribas Securities Services pendant 14 ans, occupant divers rôles dans la banque dans le global custody et l’administration de fonds.

Le gestionnaire de fortune allemand DJE Kapital a annoncé le recrutement d’André Will-Laudien au poste nouvellement créé de gérant de portefeuille client («client portfolio manager»). Dans ces nouvelles fonctions, l’intéressé sera chargé d’assurer le lien entre la recherche et le la gestion de portefeuille et l’activité de distribution.André Will-Laudier a plus de vingt ans d’expérience dans la recherche macro, les stratégies d’investissement, la distribution et l’allocation tactique. Il était dernièrement analyste au sein de la banque privée Donner & Reuschel où il avait en charge la clientèle institutionnelle au sein des comités d’investissement.

Le fonds de pension danois PensionDanmark a nommé David Altenhofen en tant que gérant de portefeuille senior au début du mois d’octobre, a appris NewsManagers.Avant de rejoindre PensionDanmark, David Altenhofen a passé près de quatre ans chez Accunia, une boutique de Copenhague spécialisée sur la dette privée ainsi que le crédit high yield et structuré. Il y a occupé les postes d’analyste senior puis de gérant senior.David Altenhofen a également travaillé pendant plus de six ans, entre 2008 et 2014, en tant qu'économiste au sein de la Banque Nationale du Danemark.PensionDanmark figure parmi les 50 fonds de pension les plus importants d’Europe et gère actuellement 32 milliards d’euros d’actifs.

Le gestionnaire d’actifs américain BNY Mellon Investment Management (BNY Mellon IM) a annoncé, ce 2 octobre, la promotion de Sarah Jarrett au poste de responsable de la distribution des produits de liquidités auprès des institutionnels en Europe (« Head of Institutional Liquidity Distribution »). Dans le cadre de ses nouvelles fonctions, elle sera responsable de la distribution des solutions de gestion du cash et des liquidités au Royaume-Uni et en Europe. Dans ce cadre, elle travaillera étroitement avec les fonds de pension, les assureurs et les consultants en investissement. Elle sera directement rattachée à Olivier Cassin, responsable de la distribution chez BNY Mellon IM.Sarah Jarrett travaillé chez BNY Mellon IM depuis septembre 2007. Elle officiait dernièrement au sein de l’équipe commerciale en charge des solutions de liquidités auprès des institutionnels. Elle y occupait le poste de « sales manager » pour le Royaume-Uni. Avant cela, elle était passé chez Morgan Stanley Investment Management.En parallèle, BNY Mellon IM a annoncé la nomination de Luke Newman en tant que « sales manager » pour l’Europe au sein du pôle en charge de la commercialisation et la distribution des stratégies de liquidités auprès des institutionnels. Dans ce cadre, il sera chargé d’accroître les actifs sous gestion et la base de clientèle pour la gamme de fonds de liquidités de la société de gestion, ciblant plus particulièrement les gérants de fonds et les trésoriers d’entreprises en Europe continentale. Il sera directement rattaché à Sarah Jarrett. Avant de rejoindre BNY Mellon IM, Luke Newsman était directeur du trading pour la zone EMEA (Europe, Moyen-Orient et Afrique) chez Institutional Cash Distributors (ICD).

HSBC Global Asset Management a annoncé l’arrivée de deux gérants de portefeuilles seniors, Oliver Boulind et Richard Balfour, au sein de son équipe obligataire. Tous deux sont basés à Londres et rapportent à Ernst Osiander, responsable des obligations internationales. Oliver Boulind sera en charge du développement de stratégies d’allocation d’actifs pour les fonds d’obligations internationales de HSBC GAM et de la gestion de fonds total return et d’obligations internationales. Il a auparavant développé le processus d’allocation d’actifs pour la gestion des fonds obligataires aggregate et total return d’Aberdeen Asset Management, où il a également géré des stratégies crédit indexées sur des benchmarks. Il a précédemment exercé les fonctions d’analyste et de gérant crédit chez AllianceBernstein, Invesco et JPMorgan.Richard Balfour sera, lui, responsable de la gestion de portefeuilles d’obligations britanniques et internationales. Il travaillait auparavant au sein de l'équipe obligataire multi-sectorielle de Barings en tant qu’investment manager. Il a également assumé le rôle de gérant à Credit Suisse Asset Management, où il supervisait les fonds monétaires et de duration courte avant de prendre la responsabilité des portefeuilles d’obligations d’Etat britanniques. HSBC GAM avait 463 milliards de dollars d’actifs sous gestion en date du 30 juin 2018.

@page { size: 8.27in 11.69in; margin: 0.79in }p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; background: transparent }CholetDupont Asset Management is adding to its product range, with theMadeleine Mid Caps Euro fund, which aims to invest in euro zone smalland midcap companies, with the Eurostoxx Small Net Total Return indexas its benchmark. The investment process aims to identify, analyseand select business models which are considred to generate value froma long-term investment perspective. Proximity with the management ofcompanies is at the heart of the validaation process for businessmodels, a statement says.Thefund was licensed in September 2017, and assets now total overEUR20bn. As of 28 September 2018, the fund had positive returns of6.46% over one year, compared with a decline of 0.77% for itsbenchmark index. Since the start of the year, the fund is up 5.21%,compared with a decline of 1.69% for the benchmark.“Thecompanies are selected when they are deemed capable of increasingtheir earnings, their operating profits, and their cash flowgeneration through positioning in growing markets and relevantdevelopment strategies,” explains Arnaud Cayla, manager of thefund.

Finnish financial group S-Bank (S-Pankki) and its asset management arm FIM have launched the first green bond fund available in Finland on 1 October 2018. The FIM IG Green ESG fund invests in green bonds issued by companies that are renowned for their ability to invest in a sustainable way. Among others, FIM uses research from MSCI ESG Research to assess how green the issuers are. MSCI’s set of criteria require from green bond issuers that 90% of the financing will support projects contributing to a better environment. «Green bonds are a very efficient way to exploit financial markets in order to support environmental projects. Conviviality and environmental sustainability are ever more considered as important for competition and seen as a key to success."Green bonds are also linked to a phenomenon we observed in recent years. Investors not only look for yield but also for measurable results. This translates into a strong growth in the popularity of efficient investment,» said FIM’s head of Responsible Investment, Mika Leskinen, who joined the firm in August.Janne Nisula, portfolio manager on the FIM IG Green ESG fund, added: «The green bond market has faced a constant rise over the last years and time has finally come to launch our innovative and environment-friendly bond fund. It remains the first fund to invest in green bonds in Finland."S-Bank and FIM are both members of the Climate Actions 100+ initiative aiming to engage discussions with more than a hundred companies among the most polluting to take action for the reduction of their greenhouse gas issuances and the improvement of their governance regarding the management of risks and opportunities linked to climate.

Amiral Gestion on Tuesday announced that its FCP Sextant PME, which has followed the same stock-picking strategy for European SME and mid-sized businesses since 1 January 2014, has been reopened to subscriptions from 3 October 2018.The fund was closed to subscriptions in July 2017, when it reached assets under management of EUR250m. “The objective for this closure was to ensure the best management conditions for the fund, and to pursue a rigorous and effective stock-picking strategy. With assets of EUR175m today, we have capacity to invest in the European small and midcap segment,” says Raphaël Moreau, coordinating manager of the Sextant PME fund.Sextant PME as of the end of September 2018 had annual returns of 15.79% since January 2014, compared with 12.86% for its benchmark index, CAC Small NR.

Paris-based boutique Anaxis Asset Management has unveiled its eight target-maturity fund, the Diversified Bond Opp. 2025, maturing on 31 December 2025. The fund, whose launch will take place on 4 October 2018, will invest in bonds issued by manufacturers and non-financial services with no geographic constraints and maturing near 2025. The management team, composed of high yield credit portfolio managers Thibault Destrés and Maximilien Védie, will apply a fundamental approach. Yield-to-maturity at fund inception will be close to 6%.

Dubai-headquartered private investment firm Legatum has hired Christopher Parkinson as manager selection director in September, following an eight-year stint with London-based financial services firm Cardano.At Cardano, he was overseeing manager research. Prior to that, he worked as co-portfolio manager at fund of hedge funds Oakley Alternative Investment Management and as vice president of K2 Advisors.Parkinson started his career as investment manager at HSBC Global Asset Management in 2002.

Gunther Stein has relinquished his roles of chief executive and chief investment officer of Symphony Asset Management, an affiliate of Nuveen. Stein will remain Symphony’s chairman through the end of 2018. It is understood he departs for business and family reasons. Four senior investment leaders will take upon Stein’s responsibilities, all four having worked with him for more than a decade. This includes Scott Caraher, head of Loans; James Kim, head of Research; Jenny Rhee, head of High Yield; and Himani Trivedi, head of Structured Credit. All have been named co-heads of Investments and will report to Nuveen’s CIO and head of Global Investments Jose Minaya. “After nearly two decades of working to build Symphony into a premier manager of alternative and traditional corporate credit and equity strategies, I want to take a break for myself and create the opportunity for the next set of investment leaders,” Stein commented. Established in 1994 and located in San Francisco, Symphony has approximately $20bn in assets under management spread across leveraged loans, high yield, convertible arbitrage and equities.

@page { size: 8.27in 11.69in; margin: 0.79in }p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; background: transparent }TheUS-British asset management group Janus Henderson Investors on 2October announced the appointment of Charles Kanengieser as salesmanager for France and Monaco, with immediate effect. Kanengieserwill report to Jon Dubarbier, director of external distribution forFrance and Monaco. Kanengieser joins the sales team based in Paris,and will be responsible for promoting the investment range from JanusHenderson to wholesale clients.Withnearly EUR33bn in assets under management in continental Europe,Janus Henderson Investors already has a strong presence in the Frenchmarket, where the firm has been present for over 15 years, thoughvolumes have not been disclosed. Janus Henderson considers France“one of the most dynamic markets in Europe, and continues toreinforce its presence serving wholesale investors and institutionalinvestors,” a statement says.Kanengieser,32, has nearly 10 years of experience in the asset managementindustry. He began his career in 2009 at Credit Suisse, and in 2010joined Groupama Asset Management in the position of sales andmarketing support. He then became assistant director for marketingand customer relationships in 2012. Kanengieser has a Master 1 degreein technology and management from NEOMA Business Schoool, and aMaster 2 in trading and asset management from INSEEC.“Weare happy to add a new specialist in fixed income investments to ourteam, in the person of Charles. Our bond management represents morethan 20% of our total assets worldwide, and the experience Charleshas acquired in his previous position represents a large advantage inaccelerating the development of this expertise for our clients. Hisexcellent knowledge of the French-speaking market, paired with hisprofound understanding of clients and their investment priorities,will help to strengthen our development,” says Charles-HenriHerrmann, director of development for France, Geneva and Monaco, in astatement.Asof the end of June 2018, assets under management at Janus Hendersontotalled about EUR317bn.

@page { size: 8.27in 11.69in; margin: 0.79in }p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; background: transparent }Theconsulting firm Mercer and the data and research provider Morningstarhave announced that they have formed an alliance to provide investorsand investment advisres a single digital platform with data oninstitutional management, performance analysis, and qualitativeresearch. Teaming up in this way will allow for institutionalmanagement data and research from Mercer to be combined withindependent research from Morningstar and its database covering openfunds, ETFs, separately managed accounts and indices.“Investorsand their advisors do not have the resources necessary to getexhaustive research and data on their institutional strategies. Withthis partnership with Morningstar, we can provide investors and theiradvisers with an extended overview of costs and opportunities, whichwill allow them to take the best investment decisions,” says RichNuzum, global president, responsible for wealth management activitiesat Mercer.Thenew range will be deployed in major regions, beginning with theUnited States in early 2019.

@page { size: 8.27in 11.69in; margin: 0.79in }p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; background: transparent }Thegovernance of the Meeschaert group is developing, with theappointment of two new members to the board at FinancièreMeeschaert: Nathalie Cuvelier, as director of communications andcorporate social responsibility and Arielle Benavides, who joined thefamily business this summer as director for organisation and humanresources.Benavides is responsible for organisation, legal affairs, and human resources,and is a member of the board of directors at Financière Meeschaert.Benavides has for over 25 years been responsible for development oforganisations, and responsible for directing human resources at topinternational groups. She was responsible for human resources atGoldman Sachs in France from 1994 until 2000, and then at JPMorganChase for six years, before becoming head of human resources forEurope at Lazard until 2015. Benavides made a strong contribution tothe deployment of human resources strategies and the transformationof organisations in the financial industry. She then put herexpertise at the service of boards of directors, by founding her ownconsulting firm. Benavides has a degree from the Université Paris IXDauphine, and since 2003 has taught as part of the Master II instrategic management of human resources.Cuvelieris responsible for communications and corporate repsonsibility. Shealso oversees marketing for the private equity unit, MeeschaertCapital Partners. Cuverlier joined the family business in 2004 asdirector of group marketing. She had previously directed marketingand communications at Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management andInvesco France. Cuvelier began her career as head of marketing andcommunication at Kompass France, and previously at the BanqueSofinco. She is a graduate of Sup de Co Rouen.Assetsunder management and surveillance by the Meeschaert group totalledover EUR6bn as of the end of June 2018.

Vuk Srdanovic left Kempen Capital Mangement in August, after seven years at the Netherlands-based asset management firm, a post on LinkedIn has announced. “I have decided to leave the firm and return to Copenhagen,” he explains, adding that he is seeking professional opportunities in Denmark.Srdanovic became head of the French office of Kempen when the asset management firm opened barely a year ago. He had covered the French market from Amsterdam since 2011. In January, he recruited Isabelle Foy as director of sales and distribution for France, Monaco and Switzerland.A spokesperson has told NewsManagers that Foy has replaced Srdanovic. As she is currently on leave, Loes Wingens, senior business development – wholesale distribution, is repsonsible for France in her absence.

Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc, announced the appointment of Susan Schmidt as Head of US Equities, expanding its geographical footprint in the asset class after nine hires to its UK, Global and Emerging Market equities teams in July. These appointments, follow the arrival in January 2018 of David Cumming as Chief Investment Officer, Equities. Susan, who has over 25 years’ experience in the investment industry, will be based in Chicago and reports to David Cumming. Prior to Aviva Investors, Susan spent three years as a senior portfolio manager covering small and mid-cap US equities for investment management company Westwood Holdings Group. While there, she was a member of internal committees that evaluated strategic positioning and helped to oversee the development and management of the corporate business plan.

Pimco has agreed to acquire Gurtin Municipal Bond Management (Gurtin), a specialist municipal bond manager. Combined, Pimco and Gurtin will manage $38 billion in dedicated municipal bond assets and offer clients a more extensive and enhanced suite of strategies and services, backed by broader muni credit research, enhanced technology and outstanding client service.Gurtin designs municipal strategies for high net worth individuals and makes those strategies available through separate accounts and mutual funds which are only accessible through investment advisors, while PIMCO’s municipal bond management focus is accessed by institutional and retail investors with strategies delivered across a broader variety of investment vehicles.To ensure continuity for Gurtin clients, the firm will maintain its San Diego and Chicago offices, and its investment team will continue managing its funds and separate accounts. Bill Gurtin, founder of the company, but also CEO and CIO, will continue to be involved in the business for several years after the acquisition to oversee existing investment operations and support the combined business. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Blackstone Group LP has started talking to investors about a second fund dedicated to buying stakes in alternative-asset managers, according to people familiar with the matter, said Bloomberg.The Blackstone team, led by Scott Soussa, is set to formally begin raising a new fund imminently, said the people, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public. Paula Chirhart, a Blackstone spokeswoman, declined to comment.The New York-based firm is seeking at least $3.3 billion for its second fund, which will buy minority stakes in alternative-asset managers with a focus on private equity, real estate and infrastructure, one of the people said.

HSBC Global Asset Management has strengthened its fixed income team with the appointments of two senior professionals, Oliver Boulind and Richard Balfour. Both will be based in London, reporting to Ernst Osiander, head of Global Bonds.Boulind will be responsible for developing asset allocation strategies for global fixed income funds in addition to the management of global bond and total return portfolios.Prior to joining HSBC GAM, Boulind worked at Aberdeen Asset Management where he most recently developed and implemented the asset allocation process used for the management of global aggregate and total return bond portfolios.He was also running benchmark-driven global credit strategies. Formerly Boulind held roles of credit analyst and portfolio manager at AllianceBernstein, Invesco and JPMorgan.At HSBC GAM, Balfour, joining from Barings, will oversee global and UK fixed income funds. During his previous tenure with Barings, he was an investment manager on the multi-sector fixed income team, running several global bond portfolios.Before that, he worked at Credit Suisse Asset Management where he managed money market and short duration bond funds before being appointed on the firm’s UK gilt portfolios.HSBC GAM had $463bn of assets under management as of end of June 2018.

@page { size: 8.27in 11.69in; margin: 0.79in }p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; background: transparent }Muzinich& Co has acquired Springrowth Sgr, an Italian asset managementfirm specialised in private debt, Bluerating reports.Springrowthwas launched in 2017 by a team of experienced Italian bankers. Thefirm provides a unique model for loans, concentrating on loans whichare co-sourced with Italian banks, and grouped into diversifiedportfolios.

@page { size: 8.27in 11.69in; margin: 0.79in }p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; background: transparent }UBSFondcenter, the distribution affiliate of UBS Asset management, hasturned to the fintech Investment Navigator, specialised inregulations, to implement distribution at lower costs of its cross-borderfunds.InvestmentNavigator can identify regional barriers to distribution, andproducts which are adapted to the regulatory specifics of variousmarkets. Investment Navigator was created in 2014.

@page { size: 8.27in 11.69in; margin: 0.79in }p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; background: transparent }Theproblems are accumulating at the asset management firm of Arpad“Arki” Busson, the flamboyant billionaire hedge fund manager,Financial News reports. The Swiss firm LumX, known as Gottex until2015, has announced a loss of USD4.5m in the first half of this year,which means that its losses over three and a half years total USD37m.The group, where Busson, who was engaged to marry Uma Thurman, isexecutive chairman, is fighting to hold onto shareholders andinvestors. The British asset management firm Artemis, which controls6% of LumX, is reported to have tried to sell its shares.

Belgian financial group Degroof Petercam has announced asset services linked to investment funds provided by Banque Degroof Petercam Luxembourg S.A. (BDPL) have been transfered to Degroof Petercam Asset Services S.A. (DPAS).According to a shareholder letter seen by NewsManagers, DPAS assumes the functions of domiciliary and administrative agent since 1 October 2018.The operation will make DPAS the group’s center regarding administrative and accounting services for investment funds.A total of 21 funds are concerned by the move, which has no effect on costs or services provided to investors of the funds.

Copenhagen-based pension fund PensionDanmark has appointed David Altenhofen as senior portfolio manager at the start of October, NewsManagers has learned.Before joining PensionDanmark, Altenhofen has been four years with Danish boutique Accunia, specialised on private debt, high yield and structured credit. There he worked as a senior analyst then as a senior portfolio manager.Altenhofen also worked over six years as an economist within the Danish national bank.PensionDanmark is one of the 50 largest pension funds in Europe and currently manages €32bn in assets.

Le groupe financier belge Degroof Petercam a annoncé la restructuration de certaines fonctions liées aux fonds d’investissement (asset services) remplies par Banque Degroof Petercam Luxembourg S.A. (BDPL).Dans une lettre aux actionnaires des fonds concernés (21 au total) vue par NewsManagers, la société a indiqué que les fonctions d’agent domiciliataire et d’administration centrale ont été transférées, en date du 1er octobre, de BDPL à Degroof Petercam Asset Services S.A. (DPAS), qui agit en tant que société de gestion au sens de l’article 101 dela loi du 17 décembre 2010 concernant les organismes de placement collectif. Degroof Petercam explique qu’avec cette centralisation des pôles de compétences relatifs aux services liés aux fonds d’investissement, DPAS deviendra le centre d’expertise en matière de services administratifs et comptables pour les fonds d’investissement au sein du groupe. L’entreprise ajoute que ce transfert de fonctions n’entraîne aucune modification de l’adresse du siège social, des services fournis ou des frais supportés par les actionnaires des fonds concernés.