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Pictet Alternative Advisors adds five to investment team

The move focuses on the expansion of the direct private equity team.

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  • The team will be headed by Edmund Buckley, global co-head of private equity and head of direct private equity
  • Nikolaus Hubmann has been appointed as head of DACH, and Sean Howard as an investment manager
  • Pictet Group, headquartered in Geneva, managed €613 billion in assets as of 30 September

Pictet Alternative Advisors (PAA), an independent unit within the Pictet Group, has added five investment professionals to the team in a move to strengthen its direct private equity capabilities.

The team will be headed by Edmund Buckley, global co-head of private equity and head of direct private equity. He joined the firm in April 2022 from THI Investments to build the direct franchise.

Nikolaus Hubmann has been appointed as head of DACH and will oversee research, origination, due diligence and oversight of investment opportunities within the region. Previously, he worked as a principal at Sun Capital Partners.

The firm has appointed Sean Howard as an investment manager. He will assist the team in the origination and oversight of investment opportunities and portfolio companies. Prior to this, he was in Ares Management’s private equity group.

Additionally, Jan Dreesen and Hugo Hickson have joined the firm as an investment associate, and value creation principal, respectively.

Previously, Dreesen was an investment professional at Aurelius Group, and Hickson was at McKinsey & Company.

The team will widen its activities after receiving its regulatory authorisation.

“The investment style is also a long-term approach with a partnership mindset, aiming to be good stewards of a business, focusing on value creation, in particular on sustainability and responsible investing criteria,” said Elif Aktuğ, managing partner at Pictet, and CEO of PAA.

Geneva-headquartered Pictet Group, a Europe-based independent wealth and asset manager, employs over 5,000 people. The firm managed €613 billion in assets as of 30 September.

PAA managed $36.7 billion, with $7.4 billion in hedge funds, $24.5 billion in private equity and $4.4 billion in real estate assets as of September-end.