Stephane Farouze has 25 years of investment experience. Prior to founding 8F Investment Partners, Stephane was Chairman of Alternatives for Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management. Before moving into that role, he was the Global Head of Alternatives and Fund Solutions and Member of the DeAWM Executive Committee. Stephane spent three years as a member of the Management Executive Committee for both Deutsche Asset Management and the Private Bank. As Head of Alternatives and Fund Solutions, Stephane’s team managed more than 200 professionals globally and was directly responsible for a total of US$50 billion of assets in Private Equity, Hedge Funds and Retirement Solutions.

Prior to that, Stephane served as the Global Head of Deutsche Bank’s Fund Derivatives and Hybrids Group within the Corporate Bank & Securities division, during which time the team was awarded the Risk Magazine award for 'Hedge Fund Derivatives House of the Year' 6 times in a row, the HFM award for 'Best Overall Investment Platform' and 'Best Managed Account Platform' twice, as well as various UCITS Platform and Product awards. In addition, Stephane was Awarded 'Best Active Manager' by Risk Magazine in 2002.

Before joining Deutsche Bank, Stephane was a Partner at Paradigm Global Advisors. He was also the Global Head of Sales and Structuring at Societe Generale Asset Management. Stephane has also worked at other financial institutions such as BNP, Commerzbank, Smith Barney and Paine Webber. Until 2009, Stephane was also a Director of Tarrant Apparel Group, a company listed on the Nasdaq since 2003.

Stephane holds Bachelor of Science in Applied Arts and Sciences and a Business Administration Degree in Finance from San Diego State University.

Karim Ghannam is based in Singapore and has 20 years of experience in fund management and investment banking. Karim was the Managing Director and Head of Alternatives & Fund solutions in Asia Pacific for Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management. Karim’s responsibilities included oversight of the bank’s hedge fund, private equity/private markets, third-party mutual funds and retirement/hybrids groups in the region. He was a member of the Alternatives and Fund Solutions Executive Committee and the Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management Asia Pacific Executive Committee.

Karim joined Deutsche Bank Group in 2011 with 14 years of industry experience. Prior to that, Karim was the global co-head of DB Private Equity & Private Markets - Deutsche Bank’s US$11 billion AUM primary, secondary and co-investment platform - and co-chair of the Global Investment Committee. He was the Global Head of Private Markets within Deutsche Bank’s Wealth Management business with overall responsibility for product selection, structuring and management within the private equity, real estate and credit space.

Before joining Deutsche Bank Group, Karim was at Argan Capital, a European mid-market private equity fund, where he spent 10 years, most recently as a Partner responsible for principal investments. Karim was a member of the investment committee at Argan Capital (and its predecessor, Bank of America Capital Partners) and helped oversee over €600m of investments. Karim led a number of European private equity deals, including structuring financing, implementing strategic change and exercising executive and board control. Prior to joining the Argan team in 2001, he worked with Merrill Lynch in London and Lehman Brothers in New York, where he concentrated on financing and M&A transactions for industrial growth, energy and power, and telecommunications companies.

Karim holds a Masters degree from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales and a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University.

Martin Fothergill is based in London and has 24 years of experience in the finance industry, including 18 years at Deutsche Bank where he most recently held the position of Managing Director, Global Head of Multi-Asset Products with responsibility for hedge funds, private equity and mutual funds. He was also a member of the Global Investment Solutions Executive Committee. 

Previously, as Managing Director, Global Head of Liquid Alternatives for the Alternatives & Fund Solutions group at Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management, Martin was responsible for a range of alternatives businesses including a US$12 billion managed account platform. This business won numerous awards over a multi-year period including best overall investment platform and best UCITS platform. He was also a Member of the Alternatives & Fund Solutions Executive Committee and the Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management UK Executive Committee.

Prior to this role Martin was Managing Director in the Global Fund Derivatives group in the investment bank where he held various roles including the set-up and development of the managed account business and as head of investment fund research covering long only funds, hedge funds and private equity. 

Before joining Deutsche Bank Martin held investment fund research roles at Bankers Trust, Santander and ING Barings (Baring Securities) where his focus was primary on long-only closed-end funds typically investing in emerging and frontier markets. 

Martin holds a Masters Degree in Finance and Investment from the University of Exeter and has written articles on hedge funds and had papers published including in the Journal of Alternative Investments. 

Bernard Abdo is based in the US and was most recently at Deutsche Bank as Managing Director and Americas Head for its Global Investment Solutions business overseeing US$4 billion across multi-asset solutions and alternative investments.  From 2012 to 2017, Bernard was Americas Head for Deutsche Asset Management’s Alternatives & Fund Solutions business overseeing $20 billion in assets across private equity, real estate and hedge fund strategies.  He joined Deutsche Bank in 2007 as Americas Head of Fund-Linked Solutions.  

Prior to Deutsche Bank, from 2005-2007 Bernard was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs overseeing their Fund-Linked Solutions business in the Americas. From 2002-2005 Bernard was a marketer at IXIS Capital Markets in their Structured Fund Products Group.  From 2000-2002, Bernard was an associate at Axalon Capital Group, a  private equity firm focused on technology, media and telecom. Bernard began his career as a corporate attorney at White & Case LLP in their NY office.  Bernard holds dual Common and Civil Law Degrees from McGill University Faculty of Law (Dean’s Honor List) and dual Finance and Economics degrees from McGill University Faculty of Management where he graduated with honors.  Bernard is a NASD Series 7, 63 and 24 registered representative.

Erol Emed is based in Tokyo and has over 20 years of experience in investment management and business development. Erol was the Chief Investment Officer, Head of Alternative Products and a member of the executive board of directors for Société Générale Asset Management (SGAM) Japan where he worked close to 17 years. Erol managed a mandate from Japan’s largest public pension fund GPIF for 10 years and was the top performer in his style class. His key achievements in SGAM include: Developing the domestic and global quantitative fund management platforms – the second largest product in SGAM Japan; Setting up the alternative investment and structured products platforms; Starting a long short market neutral hedge fund; Launching Japan’s first capital guaranteed structured product on hedge funds, and the like.

He left SGAM to work for Asia’s largest hedge fund as its Director of Research. He later moved to Thomson Reuters Markets KK as its Senior Director. In 2013 Erol founded TJT Advisory, a boutique consultancy assisting Japanese mid-small size firms in strategic overseas investment and diversification plans where he built a track record with several companies in multiple jurisdictions.

Erol holds a M.Sc. in Mathematical Finance from New College of Oxford University (England), an M.A. in International Relations from International University of Japan, and BSc in Engineering (honours) from METU. An expert on fund management, fund selection, risk, and strategic consultancy, he pioneered quantitative and style management methodologies in Japan during late 90s. He has numerous publications in these subjects. He is fluent in Japanese.

Shiblee Alam is based in London and has over 20 years of experience in investment banking and asset management. Prior to joining 8F Investment Partners, Shiblee was in charge of Business Development for Alternative and Impact Investments at AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) where the team managed a US$400 million Impact Investments program and more than US$10 billion of Hedge Funds and other alternative investment solutions for institutional clients globally.

Prior to AXA IM, Shiblee was a Senior Sales & Structurer with Lehman Brothers in London on their Hedge Funds Derivatives & Solutions Desk. Before Lehman Brothers, Shiblee was based in Paris at Société Générale Asset Management as a Senior Sales & Structurer within the Structured Asset Management unit.

In the nineties, Shiblee was an FX derivatives trader with major banks such as BNP Paribas, CIBC and American Express between Paris and Toronto.

Shiblee holds an MBA in International Finance from McGill University and is a CAIA designee.

Vilija has 14 years of experience in investment banking and real estate investment and financing. She is a real estate investment and financing expert across all real estate sectors, including logistics, datacentres, hotels and other operational real estate, in all stages of asset and portfolio life, gained at Ekistics Property Advisors (8 years) and Lehman Brothers Private Equity Real Estate in London (3 years).

Vilija was previously a Senior Advisor (3 years) and Executive Director (5 years) at Ekistics Property Advisors in London, a private equity real estate fund focused on operational real estate, investing in debt, equity and real estate backed financial instruments within Western European markets.

While at Ekistics Property Advisors, Vilija was responsible for the legal set up of the investment fund, and investments of over $150m of equity capital, across 9 senior debt, mezzanine and direct equity transactions with individual assets of up to 550,000sqft (circa 50,000sqm) in size (GIA); investments included logistics warehouses, data centres, hotels, student accommodation, holiday resorts, portfolios of pubs and of residential properties and other sectors, transactions in operating assets and ground up developments.

Prior to this role, from 2006 to 2009, Vilija was an Associate at Lehman Brothers Private Equity Real Estate, instrumental in completing over $200m of direct equity investments across 9 transactions, with focus on the CEE region and the UK, in single asset, portfolio and corporate acquisitions.

From 2004 to 2006, she was Analyst and Associate at Lehman Brothers in London, at the Global Correlation group within the Fixed Income Division, responsible for computing and monitoring of the global synthetic CDO trading book risk exposure and P&L, macrohedging the book’s credit exposure, interest rates, FX, supervising constant roll out of new risk systems and valuation models and running and market making of the FTD (First To Default) Basket trading book.

Vilija holds a Bachelor (B.A.) in Economics from University of Cambridge, Christ’s College and an MBA from IDC Herzliya, Arison School of Business.

Kaylynn Lee is based in Singapore and has 5 years of experience in the private equity industry. Prior to joining 8F, she was a Senior Associate at F&H Fund Management, a pan-Asian private equity platform co-founded by the ex-CTO of Alibaba. In her time at F&H, Kaylynn triple-hatted the growth capital investments, real estate redevelopment, as well as hospitality funds.

Kaylynn helped to manage F&H’s private equity growth capital investments, covering the investment value chain full cycle from deal sourcing, due diligence, execution, to portfolio management and divestment. In particular, she oversaw consumer and technology targets and portfolio companies operating in and expanding to Southeast Asia and Israel.

F&H’s first real estate fund comprised setup, asset acquisition, financing, redevelopment, and marketing for a strata-titled, mixed-use building in Singapore, which Kaylynn took charge of stakeholder interests. This included shareholder capital calls and update reports, as well as day-to-day developer operations.

In partnership with Ctrip (NASDAQ: CTRP), F&H launched its pioneer hospitality fund to acquire and manage hotel properties in the UK. Kaylynn assisted in the asset management and asset acquisition efforts, including on-site due diligence, market study, execution, and asset enhancement initiatives.

Kaylynn holds a Magna Cum Laude in Bachelor of Business Management, double major Finance and Operations Management, from Singapore Management University. She also completed a half year exchange program at the University of Southern California.

Henry Zhao is based in Singapore and has accumulated extensive hands-on working experience through previous internships in Asset Management and Private Equity with senior investment professionals. Prior to 8F, Henry was a Private Equity Summer Analyst at Dymon Asia Capital, where he was involved in various projects ranging from investment research and valuation to on-site due diligence assignments on M&A deals. Henry also gained experience at The Rohatyn Group, where he evaluated private equity investments across global emerging markets and involved in portfolio monitoring.

Henry holds an Bachelor of Business Management with major in Finance from Singapore Management University. He has also completed a summer exchange at Harvard University.

7 years of experience in the private equity industry

Former Singapore Head of Middle Office Fund Controlling Team with Partners Group, a global private equity firm with US$78 billion AUM

Managed the operations of semi-liquid private equity funds (with daily, weekly and monthly liquidity) with the support of external fund administrators

Contribute to the setup of the funds, which include analysing the legal structure, contribute to the drafting of the prospectus, defining the valuation and operation processes, and executing investment structures and transfers of warehouse investments

Managed regulatory reporting requirements including MiDFID II, TER Ratios, RG97, and Australian Annual Tax Calculations

Prior to that, was the deputy team head of the Product Accounting Team with Partners Group.  Led a team of product accountants and managed the full sets in private equity, debt, infrastructure and real estate funds

Led in operational due diligence in a US$50 million direct real estate deal in China, and US$13million direct real estate deal in Japan

Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) Degree, majoring in Accounting and Finance from the University of Western Australia

Co-authored a paper published in the Pacific-Basin Finance Journal 21 (2013) page 899-913, The Price of Sin in the Pacific Basin. It examined how social stigmas influence investors’ decisions to invest in sinful stocks

Awarded Honours Research Scholarship