Singapore-based GFIA, a hedge fund and absolute-return consultancy founded and run by Peter Douglas, has hired Enio Shinohara to co-manage its manager research, client advisory and risk advisory businesses. Shinohara is expected to take an equity position in the company.
"Enio doubles my professional headcount at a single stroke," says Douglas, who has been a one-man band. "We've outsourced to a number of researchers, which was OK when the hedge fund industry was just puttering along. But last year it really took off."
Shinohara has been a partner and portfolio manager at Hedging Griffo Asset Management, the largest fund of hedge funds in his native Brazil, and a portfolio manager at GP Investimentos (Garantia Partners), an alternative investments house in Sao Paolo.
"I don't know anyone outside of Japan with his experience managing funds of hedge funds," Douglas says. "The idea is he will take my investment process and put it on a more solid footing." Noting Shinohara's Latin American experience, Douglas says that he will consider orienting GFIA from being an Asian specialist to becoming a global emerging market expert over the course of the year.
GFIA researches and monitors hedge funds and absolute-return funds for third parties, and advises fund of fund houses on Asian strategies, portfolio construction and sourcing hedge funds.
