Kier will be based in London and will be heading an investment team of six people in London and Geneva. He previously spent 20 years at GAM, where he was head of alternative investments and managed discretionary investment mandates on behalf of institutions and ultra-high net worth family offices. Alongside Kier, John Argi, based in Geneva, will have the role of Co-Head of Alternative Investment Solutions and will oversee business development.
UBP has a strong culture in alternative investments, identifying talented investment teams for more than 40 years. With CHF 10 bn of AuM, alternative investments have always been and remain an important franchise at UBP, as well as a key element of the Bank’s growth strategy. Given the considerable developments in alternative investments in recent years, UBP now intends to continue expanding its know-how into alternative risk premia, high-end bespoke solutions, multi-manager liquid alternatives and multi-manager thematic strategies, with the aim of meeting clients’ expectations and anticipating market trends more effectively.
Nicolas Faller, Co-CEO Asset Management at UBP, said:
“In the current, highly uncertain market environment, alternatives are becoming more important in client portfolios. We have laid the foundations for achieving ambitious goals in the alternatives space and Kier’s investment experience, added to his deep understanding of clients’ needs, will make a major contribution to developing UBP’s hedge fund capabilities”.