Global investment firm Fairlight Capital Partners has appointed a partner as it expands into the Australian adviser and family office markets.
Founded in 2018, Fairlight seeds, backs and builds specialist investment managers.
William George joins the firm from his role as associate director of The Table Club, an Australian family office network, where he worked for three years. He brings 15 years of experience including at KPMG and PAC Partners.
In the new Sydney-based role, George will spearhead Fairlight’s expansion into Australian markets as well as jointly lead the local distribution strategy alongside Fairlight co-founder Thomas Gent.
The first fund to be offered will be a long/short systematic, quantitative hedge fund run by global macro firm Bowmoor Capital,
Gent said: “Having known Will for some time we’re extremely pleased to welcome him as a partner of Fairlight. Not only does he share our long-term mindset and commitment to investing capital alongside clients, but he also has a well-deserved reputation for good judgment and integrity.
“We know Will will be a major asset to Fairlight and we’re pleased to welcome him to our organisation as we continue to expand into Australia.”
George said: “Tom and the team at Fairlight are building an exciting business and having done extensive due diligence on Bowmoor Capital it was clear it has an exceptional product offering in Global Alpha.
“This strategy offers a performance and liquidity profile that I believe is highly suited to the Australian adviser and family office markets and I’m looking forward to introducing this exceptional product to investors seeking truly uncorrelated sources of returns.”
As well as the appointment of George in Australia, it has appointed Kuala Lumpur-based Benjamin Pedley as interim chief investment officer. This sees him develop and execute regional investment strategies, collaborate with product and marketing teams and foster partnerships with market leaders including Australian superannuation funds.
Prior to this, he worked as an executive director at JP Morgan Private Bank, senior investment specialist at ANZ and head of investment strategy at HSBC Private Bank.
“With longstanding relationships across APAC institutional investors, family offices and asset managers, Benjamin will play a central role in the firm’s capital-raising initiatives, with a particular focus on deepening our presence across APAC. His regional network and understanding of both traditional and alternative managers make him exceptionally well positioned to support our next phase of growth.”
