Fiera Capital, a leading independent asset management firm, has announced the opening of its first office in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The newly established office will be co-led by Paul Doyle and Xavier Zawisza, who will be responsible for growing Fiera Capital’s established investor base. The pair were selected for their extensive Middle East fundraising expertise and history advising large institutional investors on asset manager search and selection.
Fiera Capital is an investor in the Gulf region, both in its active positioning across its Emerging Markets and Frontier Markets strategies, in addition to the Company’s dedicated Middle East and North Africa (“MENA”) mandate. The Company’s Abu Dhabi office is its self-described “foundation” in MENA, with the expectation being to grow its presence and team in the region over time.
“This inaugural establishment in the Middle East serves as a cornerstone of our strategic entry into the region, reflecting our commitment to cultivating a robust and enduring presence and marking another significant advancement in our regionalization strategy,” said Jean-Guy Desjardins, Chairman of the Board and Global Chief Executive Officer. “By leveraging our existing and well-established clientele base in the region, we are strategically positioned to fortify our market foothold within the GCC Region. As we inaugurate operations in Abu Dhabi, we remain steadfast in our pursuit of consolidating our standing and extending our influence across the broader Middle Eastern landscape.”
“Leveraging the strong relationships we’ve forged with sovereign wealth funds, family offices, pension funds and major listed corporates in the region, we’re taking the next logical step in our expansion,” said Klaus Schuster, Executive Director and CEO, Fiera Capital EMEA, emphasizing Fiera Capital’s enduring ties with institutional investors across the GCC. “Investors at all tiers have a growing preference for multi-asset portfolio solutions across public and private market strategies which can be tailored to meet specific asset allocation criteria. Our offering in the Middle East will replicate the bedrock on which Fiera Capital’s success has been built; a philosophy of investing in quality over long-term horizons in the absolute pursuit of steady and financially sustainable alpha.”
“Being mature investors in the Middle East is a distinct competitive advantage,” continued Schuster. “We’ve proven that we can drive value creation in high-growth geographies as well as on home ground. Investors with capital to deploy at scale are looking for points of difference, especially in a period of global market volatility.”
Priority asset classes for Fiera Capital’s Middle East initiatives include global and MENA-specific equities and real assets, including real estate, infrastructure, natural capital and indirect exposure through private credit instruments. Fiera Capital’s OAKS EM Select strategy, which invests in a diversified portfolio of smaller emerging markets securities seeking absolute returns and marked its three-year track record in January 2024, is a standout, having outperformed 99% of its peers since its inception according to Bloomberg data.
