The new hire will head up the firm's asset management operation with a particular focus on establishing alternative and unlisted asset strategies for both Swiss and international institutional clients.

Swiss banking firm REYL Group has appointed Francesco Genovese in a newly-created role as head of its asset management business. 

He will be responsible for developing asset management and fund distribution activities at bank REYL & Cie, with a particular focus on establishing alternative and unlisted asset strategies for both Swiss and international institutional clients. Genovese will focus initially on establishing a platform for alternative asset management at REYL & Cie. This strategy will enable REYL & Cie to develop specialist strategies for promoting and distributing innovative investment funds throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the US, to a client base comprising sovereign funds, central banks and pension funds. In particular, the bank plans to focus on private equity, especially in the field of new technologies, private debt and property.

Genovese has over 25 years’ experience in launching, managing and distributing institutional investment funds. Before joining REYL & Cie, he spent over 15 years at Pictet & Cie in various senior positions, including head of institutional sales in Europe and the Middle East, where he created franchises with a number of sovereign funds and central banks, particularly in the MENA region. 

“Following our partial withdrawal from RAM active investments, a leader in the active management of liquid assets, we are committed to bolstering our offering of alternative products, especially in unlisted assets,” said François Reyl, chief executive. “With this in mind, we are delighted to welcome a professional of Francesco Genovese’s calibre, whose entrepreneurial expertise and institutional networks will play a significant role in enabling us to pursue our continued growth strategy based on the integrated offering of our five business lines.”

This publication recently reported that REYL & Cie has appointed Jérôme Koechlin as communications director and secretary of the executive committee.