Highland Capital Management has named Joe Sowin co-chief investment officer (CIO). In the role, Sowin will oversee investment activities for the firm’s multibillion-dollar alternative investment platform with a focus on driving information flow across investment teams and with the firm’s counterparties.
Sowin previously served as head of global equity trading. He will continue to manage the firm’s trading operations as co-CIO.
“The trading desk functions as a vital information hub,” says Jim Dondero, co-founder and president of Highland Capital Management. “Throughout Joe’s career at Highland, he has excelled at facilitating relationships with trading and research counterparties to maximize that function. This is a well-deserved promotion and a natural progression for Joe that streamlines investment operations to generate alpha for the benefit of our clients.”
Sowin joined the firm in 2010 after holding various trading positions at New York- and Connecticut-based hedge funds. During his time at Highland, Sowin has worked with portfolio managers across the platform overseeing trading for a range of investment vehicles and strategies, in addition to managing key relationships for the firm as the lead broker liaison. He has also served on various committees that support the firm’s investment operations, including the research and brokerage committees, and has led working groups to evaluate key service providers and optimize resource allocation.
“I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to bring together the diverse skillsets at Highland to promote idea generation,” says Sowin. “As our industry undergoes major transformation, the exchange of information and ability to leverage expertise and relationships become even more important. Today more than ever, those activities can drive outsized returns for our investors and are therefore among my top priorities as co-CIO.”
Sowin joins Highland co-founder Mark Okada in the co-CIO role. Trey Parker, a Highland partner who previously held the post alongside Okada, was named co-head of Highland’s private equity group earlier this year; Parker now oversees the firm’s active private equity portfolio.
Beyond his investment responsibilities, Sowin is actively involved in Highland’s philanthropic activities. He currently serves on the board of directors for Capital for Kids, a Dallas-based organization supported by the investment industry that provides grants to nonprofits serving children in need in North Texas. In addition to his board position, he has held a number of other leadership roles within the organisation. Sowin received a BS in accounting from the University of Connecticut and has earned the right to use both the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations.
