The new platform Unicorn Strategic Partners, an entity formed by a team of recognized professionals in the Investment Fund Industry, arrives to the Distribution Market. The firm, which specializes in the distribution of thirdparty funds, will be representing international managers in Iberia, Latin America — both in Retail and Institutional Business — and US Offshore regions.
Unicorn is defined as a solution that allows offering the managers it will be representing, a distribution platform with a first-class Asset Management Team, with an extraordinary adaptability and a consolidated track record on the distribution business in the different regions where it operates.
As Head of the project is David Ayastuy, founding partner of Unicorn SP and professional specialized in the Asset Management Industry and International Private Banking. According to Ayastuy: “Our model is based on working with a limited number of managers, maximizing at all times the capacity of positioning and distribution and avoiding any potential conflict of interest. We want managers to feel as part of their team, not only from the sales area but also in marketing, compliance, legal, operations and business development activities”.
The Unicorn model allows adapting to the particular characteristics and requirements of each of the markets. In this way, it becomes a strategic partner for many international managers in their entry to markets in which they lack local structure, and previous track record. A movement that can cause a strong wear, both in terms of resources, as well as image and positioning. Unicorn offers to these firms confronting the challenge of entering to new regions with a solid experience, excellence in service and personal relationships created by their team in each region.
From the side of the end customer, the advantages offered by a platform like Unicorn are of great added value, by facilitating a proposal that customers can receive with the best investment solutions in each of the different asset classes.
The firm will focus its activity on three key regions for the sector: Iberia, Latin America – both Institutional and Retail -and US Offshore. In this way, Unicorn is covering regions that could only be covered by having local presence, and where Unicorn professionals can properly take care of them because they have been working for decades, with strong established relationships.
Unicorn divides its business into four key areas:
– Latam Institutional. The office of Santiago de Chile, directed by Eduardo Ruiz-Moreno, will serve the institutional business of Chile, Peru and Colombia. Ruiz-Moreno, with 24 years of experience in the Financial Industry, worked most of his career as Director for Latin America and Spain at Edmond of Rothschild Asset Management, positioning this firm in Chile among the top 10 international managers, with assets of $2,000 million USD.
– Latam Retail. With offices in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Led by Florencia Bunge, this division will serve retail customers in Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Colombia. For the last 16 years, Bunge has been responsible of Development and Distribution at Pioneer Investments from Buenos Aires, covering the Latin American Retail Market.
– US Offshore. With offices in Miami and New York, Mike Kearns will be in the lead. Mike Kearns developed much of his career in the Financial Asset Industry as Senior VP and Regional Director at Permal Group where he was responsible for sales and distribution in Canada, the United States and Latam. More recently, Kearns has been working on LATAM’s business development with Strategic Investments Group Ltd, where he will keep those relations with Unicorn.
– Iberia. From the Madrid office covering the Spanish Market, Unicorn will be represented by Carlos Osés, a professional with more than 25 years of experience as, among other positions, Sales Manager for Spain at BNP Paribas AM, WestLB Mellon and NN Investment Partners (formerly ING Investment Management.)
The Unicorn SP team initially will be formed by a total of 10 professionals, in addition to the support of the NFQ Group, an international consulting, solution development and outsourcing specialist in the financial sector with more than 500 employees and presence in four countries. Unicorn is letting us know that in the upcoming weeks they will be announcing the first representation agreements they have closed already.