 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(November 2017) |
Rainer-Marc Frey (born January 10, 1963) is a Swiss businessman and investor. He is active in the Swiss financial services sector and the international hedge fund industry.
Rainer-Marc Frey was born on January 10, 1963, in the Swiss canton of Basel-Landschaft. Following his Matura graduation in economics at the Gymnasium of Liestal, he studied economics at the renowned University of St. Gallen. He graduated summa cum laude with a degree in economics (lic. oec. HSG) in 1986.
After his studies, he was at the American investment banks Merrill Lynch and Salomon Brothers. At Salomon Brothers, he opened new trading departments in Zürich and Frankfurt. He left the firm in 1992 and founded his own hedge fund – the RMF Investment Group - along with two partners in Zug.
RMF Investment Group was a hedge fund, which aimed to achieve above-average returns compared to the reference market and reduce risk through hedging strategies. Although the concept was initially met with skepticism among investors in Switzerland, RMF achieved positive results by making gains in sideways or negative trending markets through trading on Japanese warrants and convertible bonds.[ citation needed ] Despite difficult periods like the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the dot-com bubble burst in 2001, RMF's investment thesis proved successful, leading to collaborations with institutional investors such as LGT Group, Swiss Life, and Credit Suisse. [1] [2] By 2002, RMF had become one of Europe's leading alternative asset managers, with assets under management reaching USD 8.5 billion. [3]
That same year, Man Group plc made a takeover offer of approximately CHF 1.35 billion for RMF, which was accepted by RMF's shareholders. [4] Through this acquisition, Man Group became the world's largest provider of hedge fund investments. As part of the deal, RMF's 12-member management team committed itself to remain on board at the merged company for 3 years.
The sale of his stake in RMF resulted in proceeds of approximately CHF 500 million for Frey. However, Frey and his partners continued to pursue new business ideas. In 2004 already, they founded their next investment firm, which would specialize in alternative investments, Horizon 21 AG, headquartered in Pfäffikon, Schwyz.
In September 2005, Swiss Re became a strategic partner to Horizon21 and acquired a 20% stake in the Horizon21 Alternative Investments business unit. A year later, the partnership between the two firms grew stronger, as they joined efforts in the private equity fund of funds business. Horizon21 took over the private equity activities of Swiss Re, which in turn bought 30% of the Horizon21 Private Equity Holding. [5]
Since the inception of Horizon21, the management of the founders’ and partners’ wealth has been a focal point of its activities. Following a strategic re-orientation in 2010, Horizon21 positioned itself as a private investment office and it tailors its activities around the founders’ and partners’ investment needs. [6]
Since the sale of RMF, Frey has been an industrial investor through stakes in several companies. As private investor and majority shareholder, he was able to share his entrepreneurial experiences with the companies in which he invested.
In October 2008, Frey was named onto the Board of Directors of the then crisis-ridden UBS. The nomination of Frey was intended to bring back more knowledge of the financial industry into the board of directors. [7] Frey was considered as an independent spirit with a strong voice. [8] He was a member of the Risk Committee, as well as the Audit Committee and was later also appointed to the Human Resources and Compensation Committee. In April 2014, he decided not to present himself for reelection to the board of directors in order to pursue other professional engagements.
Frey is a member of the Board of Directors of DKSH since 2008 and he serves on the Audit and Strategy Committees. DKSH is an internationally active market expansion services group, which is deeply rooted in communities across Asia Pacific and headquartered in Zürich. Frey holds a 3.9% equity stake in DKSH. [9]
Since 2010, he also holds a stake of currently 8.67% in the Swiss pharmaceuticals company Siegfried Holding AG, based in Zofingen. [10]
Frey is main shareholder and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lonrho Holdings Ltd since 2013. The company is a diversified conglomerate, which is active in Sub-Saharan Africa. He submitted a takeover bid to the former shareholders in 2013 alongside Swiss entrepreneur Thomas Schmidheiny. The takeover was finalized on July 19, 2013, and taken private for a value of CHF 270 million. [11]
Frey is the Vice-President of the Board of the Frey Charitable Foundation (FCF), founded in 2004. In Africa, FCF focuses on supporting outstanding social entrepreneurs in a variety of thematic areas. [12]
In his free time, Frey is a pilot.
Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) was a Swiss investment bank and financial services company located in Switzerland. The bank, which at the time was the second largest bank in Switzerland, merged with Swiss Bank Corporation in 1998, to become UBS to form what was then the largest bank in Europe and the second largest bank in the World.
Swiss Bank Corporation was a Swiss investment bank and financial services company located in Switzerland. Prior to its merger, the bank was the third largest in Switzerland with over CHF 300 billion of assets and CHF 11.7 billion of equity.
Credit Suisse Group AG is a global investment bank and financial services firm founded and based in Switzerland. Headquartered in Zürich, it maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world and provides services in investment banking, private banking, asset management, and shared services. It is known for strict bank–client confidentiality and banking secrecy. The Financial Stability Board considers it to be a global systemically important bank. Credit Suisse is also a primary dealer and Forex counterparty of the Federal Reserve in the United States.
GIC Private Limited is a Singaporean sovereign wealth fund that manages the country's foreign reserves. Established by the Government of Singapore in 1981 as the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, of which "GIC" is derived from as an acronym, its mission is to preserve and enhance the international purchasing power of the reserves, with the aim to achieve good long-term returns above global inflation over the investment time horizon of 20 years.
Julius Bär Group AG, known alternatively as Julius Baer Group Ltd., is a private banking corporation founded and based in Switzerland. Headquartered in Zürich, it is among the older Swiss banking institutions. In terms of assets under management, Julius Baer is number two among Swiss banks after UBS and the biggest pure-play private bank.
Man Group plc is an active investment management business listed on the London Stock Exchange. It provides a range of funds across liquid and private markets for institutional and private investors globally and is the world's largest publicly traded hedge fund company, reporting $151.4 billion in funds under management as of March 2022. The firm is headquartered at Riverbank House in London and employs over 1,400 people in various locations worldwide. The company was a sponsor of the Man Booker Prize from 2002 to 2019.
The Swiss Life Group is the largest life insurance company of Switzerland and one of Europe’s leading comprehensive life and pensions and financial services providers, with approximately CHF 276.3 bn of assets under management. Founded in 1857 in Zurich as the Schweizerische Lebensversicherungs und Rentenanstalt cooperative, the company entered the Swiss stock market in 1997 and adopted its current name in 2002. In 2022 the group declared an adjusted profit from operations of CHF 2.06 billion, a 17% decrease compared to the previous year. Net profit increased by 16% to CHF 1.46 billion. Swiss Life is one of the twenty companies listed under the Swiss Market Index, as SLHN.
Fortress Investment Group is an American investment management firm based in New York City. Fortress was founded as a private equity firm in 1998 by Wes Edens, Rob Kauffman, and Randal Nardone. When Fortress launched on the NYSE in February 2007, it was the first large private equity firm in the US to be traded publicly. In December 2017, Fortress was fully acquired by SoftBank Group, was delisted, and returned to being a privately held company. As of June 30, 2020, the firm manages approximately $45.5 billion alternative assets in private equity, liquid hedge funds and credit funds.
Knight Vinke Asset Management is an American privately owned investment management firm that invests in under-performing bluechip companies, then pushes for institutional changes in those companies to increase share value. As of October 2016, the firm manages approximately $1 billion.
Partners Group Holding AG is a Swiss-based global private equity firm with US$141.7 billion in assets under management in private equity, private infrastructure, private real estate and private debt.
Capvis is a private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in middle-market companies across a range of industries in the Industrial Corridor of Europe.
Lightyear Capital is a private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in financial services companies.
GAM Investments is an independent, pure play asset management group headquartered in Zurich. The Group sells to a wide range of client segments such as institutions, wholesale intermediaries, financial advisers, and private investors. The Group’s investment management business is complemented by a private labelling unit which provides outsourcing for third-party asset managers.
UBS Group AG is a multinational investment bank and financial services company founded and based in Switzerland. Co-headquartered in the cities of Zürich and Basel, it maintains a presence in all major financial centres as the largest Swiss banking institution and the largest private bank in the world. UBS client services are known for their strict bank–client confidentiality and culture of banking secrecy. Because of the bank's large positions in the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific markets, the Financial Stability Board considers it a global systemically important bank.
Brinson Partners was an asset management firm focused on providing access for U.S. institutions to global markets. The firm was founded by noted investor Gary P. Brinson in the 1980s and established as an independent firm in 1989. Brinson was acquired by Swiss Bank Corporation in 1994 and became the core of the Swiss bank's asset management business in the U.S.
Elliott Investment Management is an American investment management firm. It is also one of the largest activist funds in the world.
Samena Capital is an Asia, India and MENA-focused alternative investments group, co-established in 2008 by Shirish Saraf and key partners from a cross section of industries and regions. This name was chosen due to the markets that Samena invests in. These are the Indian Subcontinent, Asia, Middle East and North Africa – a region collectively known as SAMENA. Also in ancient Buddhist script, Samena means "together" or "collective", which reflects the collective investment model the company is based on. The company and its subsidiaries employ 26 people in 3 locations worldwide, and has 48 shareholders.
Vontobel Holding AG is a Swiss private banking and investment management group headquartered in Zurich. Established in 1924, as of August 2021, Vontobel has over 2,000 employees across 26 worldwide locations. Vontobel group's core businesses are Wealth Management, Asset Management and Digital Investing, catering to wealthy private clients as well as institutional investors. Among the top tier Swiss banks, Vontobel holds around $300 billion of client assets.
Martin Ebner is a Swiss billionaire businessman and investor from the municipality of Freienbach in the canton of Schwyz. He is the founder of BZ Bank, and the investment firm, BZ Group. Through his investment vehicle Patinex, he owns multimillion-dollar stakes in various companies, and his biggest holdings include healthcare company Vifor Pharma, software firm Temenos, and real estate investor Intershop.
On 19 March 2023, Swiss investment bank UBS Group AG agreed to buy Credit Suisse for CHF 3 billion in an all-stock deal brokered by the government of Switzerland and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority. The Swiss National Bank supported the deal by providing more than CHF 100 billion in liquidity to UBS following its takeover of Credit Suisse's operations, while the Swiss government provided a guarantee to UBS to cover losses of up to CHF 9 billion over the short term. Additionally, CHF 16 billion of Additional Tier 1 bonds were written down to zero.