Axiom Alternative Investments, a French asset manager with USD 1.4 billion under management and offices in London and Paris, has appointed Bedis Gharbi as Senior Portfolio Manager, to support the continued development and diversification of its growing London office and fund range.
Bedis, a graduate from the École Polytechnique and ENSAE, brings over 20 years’ experience in the investment management industry, most recently as Head of Synthetic Credit Funds at RiverRock European Capital Partners.
He was previously in charge of the credit correlation portfolio management at Deutsche Bank which he joined in 2009.
He began his career in 1999 at SG Capital Markets, in the derivatives trading department, where he was in charge of the credit correlation portfolio management and exotic credit trading.
Since 1999, Bedis has also held various senior roles at SPQR Capital, RBS and RBC Capital Markets.
Bedis will join Axiom’s London office, working with Laurent Henrio as a Portfolio Manager on the recently launched Axiom Credit Opportunity Fund, with close to EUR 100 million raised since inception. This non-directional fund, which is invested in credit derivatives, aims to achieve net annual returns of 12 per cent and a Sharpe ratio of greater than two. The strategy focuses on two sources of opportunity: capturing value that arises from structural price anomalies in the credit derivatives market and from regulations which require banks to transfer risks, by reducing their capital cost to improve their return on equity.
David Benamou (pictured), Chief Investment Officer at Axiom Alternative Investments, says: “We are delighted to welcome Bedis to our growing London office at an important time in Axiom’s development, following a series of major fund launches and senior appointments. With his wealth of experience, Bedis will bolster the Credit Opportunity Fund’s management team and research capabilities, while further strengthening our alternative investment capabilities, as we accelerate our growth in this important market segment.”
