corporate
Meet our new Managing Partner
Our Managing Partners were delighted to welcome Jean-Pascal Porcherot as a new Partner at the start of 2022. He represents the asset management unit of our group, Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM). He has worked in the unit since 2009, rising to joint head with Nathalia Barazal in 2021.
You became a Managing Partner last January. What were your first impressions?
I had already worked closely with the Managing Partners in my previous roles, so the transition was quite natural, even though I am humbled by it. As I'm not a member of the founding families, I think this development shows the Firm's spirit, which values loyalty and commitment. So I'm very honoured by this recognition, which is the start of a new challenge! I'm finding out about other aspects of the Group’s business, and I know I still have a lot to learn.
You joined the Firm in 2009 as part of LOIM. How do you see that unit’s growth in recent years?
I'm very proud of what we've accomplished at LOIM. When I came back to Geneva to be joint head of LOIM in 2021, after several years in the US for our 1798 Alternatives platform, I spent a lot of time with colleagues. We really do have great teams and first-class experts. In this highly competitive environment, we stand out through active management based on conviction, centred around six broad areas of expertise. Today, LOIM has more than 400 employees and manages more than CHF 70 billion. Our positioning is clear, based around the Group’s values.
Some specific asset classes, like Private Equity, have long been part of institutional portfolios. LOIM has had a team dedicated to these products since 2007. Can private clients also benefit from this expertise? What is the Group's vision?
We currently have more than CHF 6 billion in assets under management for private assets, and we’re targeting high growth. The Group’s vision is to have pillars, so to speak: one unit dedicated to private clients and one dedicated to institutional clients. These two units work closely together on priority issues such as sustainability and private assets. In the current environment, private assets have become vital, with particularly good prospects for returns and diversification. Our goal is to expand our offer in this area further, by strengthening our expertise in private debt, infrastructure and real estate, and by developing our product range, particularly through co-investments in sustainability, whether for private or institutional clients.
LOIM has also developed a broad expertise in sustainable investment, and successfully launched high-conviction strategies such as Climate Transition and Natural Capital. What’s next?
We are developing new strategies on key issues such as food, carbon markets and solutions related to plastics.
We are convinced that many investment opportunities and new asset classes will emerge during this transition period, and we are now well equipped to identify these opportunities. We have a broad expertise within the Group, with around thirty specialists working in our SIRSS* team alongside our investment experts, and privileged partnerships with the University of Oxford, and Systemiq, a company in which we have also invested.
You have also been part of the rapid growth of alternative investments and hedge funds. What is the Group’s current strategy in these segments?
This is a complex and highly competitive environment. In 2014, our Senior Managing Partner Hubert Keller suggested I head up our 1798 Alternatives platform, which is dedicated to alternative investments and hedge funds. We then set our strategic priorities, concentrating on our US platform because this market is attractive in terms of talent and investors. It is fair to say that since the last financial crisis, hedge funds have had some difficulty finding their place. However, in complex and volatile environments, they can act as shock absorbers. In March 2020, our main fund was up 10%, while equity markets plummeted. The first few months of 2022 were also turbulent in equity markets, and hedge funds helped to cushion the declines to some extent. We want to continue to differentiate ourselves in this segment through active management.
To end on a more personal note, what do you do in your spare time?
I like family sports, particularly with my boys, and I ski with them in winter. Beyond leisure, I have always thought that if you are lucky in life, you should get involved in the community. My charity work developed while I was living in the US. My wife and I support several associations including a “happy café” which aims to provide employment for people with Down’s syndrome or other disabilities, enabling them to work in a café or small restaurant.
* Sustainable Investment Research Strategy and Stewardship
Important information
This document is issued by Bank Lombard Odier & Co Ltd or an entity of the Group (hereinafter “Lombard Odier”). It is not intended for distribution, publication, or use in any jurisdiction where such distribution, publication, or use would be unlawful, nor is it aimed at any person or entity to whom it would be unlawful to address such a document. This document was not prepared by the Financial Research Department of Lombard Odier.
Read more.
share.