Alexandre Rampa has joined 3A SA – the alternative investment division of Swiss banking group SYZ & CO – as Portfolio Manager and Se
Alexandre Rampa has joined 3A SA – the alternative investment division of Swiss banking group SYZ & CO – as Portfolio Manager and Senior Analyst.
His appointment follows the arrival in 2005 of José Galeano (Portfolio Manager and Senior Analyst) and Michaël Malquarti (Quantitative Analyst and Risk Management Associate) and brings the total 3A team to 32 people, up from 26 at the end 2004.
This increase in staff has been carried out in parallel to a substantial rise in assets managed by the Swiss alternative investment specialist. Assets managed by 3A SA reached USD 2.063 billion at the end of 2005, a +23 per cent increase from end 2004. Additionally, 3A provides advisory services on USD 2.2 billion in alternative investments.
‘Hedge fund analysis and selection is mostly a qualitative business and the calibre of the people you hire makes all the difference,’ says Jean Keller, CEO of 3A. ‘Together with Jose and Michael, Alexandre’s arrival ensures that we maintain our lead as one of the true alternative investment specialists in Europe.’
Prior to joining 3A in January 2006, Rampa spent five years as a Senior Analyst and Portfolio Manager at Banque Privée Edmond de Rothschild SS in Geneva, where he was responsible for Arbitrage and Event-Driven strategies. In addition to that, he was principally in charge of a multi-manager product with more than USD 900m of assets under management.
From 1998 to 2000 he worked as an Analyst within Union Bancaire Privée’s alternative asset management group. Rampa is a Swiss citizen and holds a Degree in Management and Finance from HEC Lausanne. He is also a CAIA holder (Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst).
‘My role will be to actively participate in the decision making process and in the management of alternative portfolios,’ says Rampa. ‘More specifically, I will bring my experience in the relative value space. I am very excited to join 3A. 3A has an excellent reputation in this very demanding business and it’s always nice to be part of a winning team’.
Michaël Malquarti, Quantitative Analyst and Risk Management Associate, holds a Masters in Mathematical Physics from the University of Geneva and a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Sussex in the UK. During his studies, he carried out research in the field of theoretical cosmology, which involved creating and testing models as well as analysing data. He also taught mathematics and physics to students at various levels. Michaël joined 3A in August 2005 as a quantitative analyst whose tasks involve carrying out analyses and developing tools with a view to managing risk.
Prior to joining 3A in April 2005, José Galeano, Portfolio Manager and Senior Analyst, was Head of Alternative Investments at Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, where he established and developed this venture over three years. Prior to that, he was a Portfolio Manager within the Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch alternative asset management group. Previously, he worked for five years at Arthur Andersen in the Audit and Financial Risk Management divisions. José holds a B.A. in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Banking and Finance from HEC Lausanne. He is also a CFA charterholder. His research papers on asset allocation in the alternative sector have been published in numerous reviews.
The Research & Investment team is headed by David Palmans, Chief Investment Officer, who joined 3A in June 2000. At 3A, portfolio managers are all research analysts, a combination which allows them to follow an ever-changing investment universe whilst focusing on generating performance. Analysts do not specialise in specific hedge fund strategies, sectors or geographies. Rather, they all cover the various categories of hedge funds. This enables them to have an overall understanding of the investment universe at any one point in time, a great advantage when it comes to discussing strategy allocation across portfolios.
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