Swiss banking group Syz & Co announces expansion of operations in Asia

Swiss banking group Syz & Co has opened a Hong Kong office to register and promote the Oyster range of Luxembourg Sicav investment funds.

The office will promote the institutional asset management services provided by Syz Asset Management. The current alternative asset management service, operative since January 2007, will also be offered in Hong Kong.

To reflect these changes the Hong Kong office will change its company name from 3A Asia to Syz & Co Asia, subject to regulatory approval.

Syz & Co has also appointed a CEO in Asia, Daniel Ghirardi. He replaces Jennifer Carver and Brian MacDougall. Ghirardi joins from Massena group, the Luxembourg-based multi-family office and previously worked in Asia and Hong Kong with UBS Group.

Syz & Co was founded in 1996 by Eric Syz, Alfredo Piacentini and Paolo Luban and has assets of Sfr 25 billion (€18.3 billion, $23.6 billion) under management. It specialises in four lines of asset management: high-end private banking, institutional asset management, the Oyster investment funds and alternative management with 3A (Alternative Asset Advisors). As of December 2009, 3A had $2.3 billion (€1.8 billion) in fund of hedge funds at December 2009.