Based in Zurich, the office will serve as the main hub for Fiera Capital’s intermediaries business in the EMEA region and institutional clients in the DACH region, reflecting the company’s commitment to the markets in these regions. The firm believes that establishing a local presence will enable it to develop its customised offerings for new and existing institutional and private clients in the regions.

Some activities conducted from the office are subject to regulatory approval by FINMA, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, the firm added.

With over 20 years in business development with a focus on Switzerland, Meyer and his team, which is set to be expanded this year, will be responsible for the growth of the company’s institutional and intermediaries business in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Meyer will also cultivate and grow relationships with family offices, private banks, wealth and asset managers and large independent financial advisors (IFA) platforms across Europe, the firm said. 

Product spotlights include global, US, emerging and frontier markets equities on the public side, as well as a broad array of products in the private market strategies, including infrastructure, real estate and commercial real estate debt, agriculture, timberland and private credit. 

Meyer joined the company from PineBridge Investments, where he served as managing director and country head for Switzerland and Austria and head of intermediary distribution, Europe for seven years. Prior to that, he oversaw institutional sales at Aviva Investors.

“Given its status as one of the world’s most important wealth centres, Switzerland was a natural next step in our growth story,” Klaus Schuster, executive director and CEO at Fiera Capital EMEA, said. “We have both the capability and the breadth of offering necessary to capitalise on the financial innovation the country is known for and create long-term value through deeper access to investable opportunities across the continent.” 

Fiera Capital is a large asset manager based in Canada, with $115 billion under management, and offices in North America, Europe and Asia. The growth of the company’s global footprint follows recent appointments of CEOs Klaus Schuster for EMEA, Eric Roberts for the US and Maxime Ménard for Canada, rebooting Fiera Capital’s regionalised distribution model.