Stockholm (NordSIP) – Despite being one of the largest independent asset managers in the world, Los Angeles-headquartered Payden & Rygel Investment Management (Payden) is still relatively unknown in the Nordics. The firm seems determined to change this, however. Demonstrating clear ambition to increase its presence in the region, on 16 April, Payden announced the appointment of Dennis Kwist as Senior Vice President responsible for Business Development in Northern Europe.
“I am delighted to welcome Dennis Kwist to strengthen our expansion in Northern Europe. His experience and depth of contacts will be an invaluable resource,” comments Antonella Manganelli, CEO Payden Global SIM S.p.A. (Milan). “At a time when a series of banks and investment houses are reducing headcount, Payden is actively hiring to build on our established business and reflecting opportunities to grow the client base in a range of different geographies,” she adds.
Kwist joins Payden after fifteen years at Wellington Management, where he was Managing Director, Head of Business Development for Northern Europe. He will be based at Payden’s London and Milan offices and focus on promoting Payden’s UCITS funds and expanding the existing segregated account business by adding new institutional relationships.
“I was drawn to the company by its team-based culture and its commitment to meeting the growing ESG needs of its clients,” reveals Kwist. He explains that Payden has more than twenty years of experience delivering on the ESG requirements of its existing Nordic clients. Recently, the firm has seen a growing demand in this area and the need for more customised segregated account mandates to meet the clients’ diverse requirements. “ESG is not a one-size-fits-all, especially in fixed income,” adds Kwist.
This certainly reflects Payden’s belief that a one-size-fits-all or product-based approach to investing sacrifices the single most important aspect of client relationships: each client’s unique circumstances. Boasting some USD161 billion assets under management, the firm serves exclusively the institutional market with an emphasis on customised investment solutions.
“I look forward to developing the wide range of relationships Payden has built in the Benelux and Nordic regions over 25 years and to supporting the further development of our client base,” concludes Kwist.
