Denis Panel has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of Sycomore Asset Management, a unit of Generali Investments, the firm announced on Tuesday.
Panel, 52, served until recently as global head of the multi-asset, quantitative & solutions - Maqs - division of BNP Paribas Asset Management, the firm’s largest investment centre. He spearheaded several strategic projects, including the development of the ETF strategy and its emphasis on responsible investing – with the launch of the first Low Carbon ETF as early as 2008 – and more recently, the creation of BNP Paribas’ fund manager selection platform, AMSelect.
Emeric Préaubert, co-founder of Sycomore, steps down from his operational role but remains a member of the supervisory board. Christine Kolb and Cyril Charlot, co-founders of the firm and respectively head of business development and CIO, will maintain their current responsibilities and functions, supporting Panel as they continue to pursue this shared adventure.
Denis Panel will assume his duties from 3 April. He is tasked with upholding Sycomore’s corporate mission: to bring a human dimension to investment and support the development of a more sustainable and inclusive economy, thereby creating value for its clients and for all the company’s stakeholders, the firm said.
Specific mission
As such, Panel’s specific mission will be to reinforce Sycomore’s position in responsible investment. He will take an active part in the development of the business, accelerating international growth, strengthening investment processes, and deploying new initiatives across the firm’s financial offering. In coming months, priorities will include optimising Sycomore’s product strategy.
“We are delighted that Denis Panel is joining us and look forward to benefiting from his experience as an investment professional and global team leader serving in international top-tier establishments,” said Kolb and Charlot in a statement. “Our ability to attract a CEO with Denis’ background and experience clearly reflects our determination to focus on innovation, to scale up the business and change dimension.”
“I am thankful to all team members at Sycomore AM for sharing in this unique and fulfilling entrepreneurial adventure,” said Emeric Préaubert. “Our employees are as engaged and motivated as ever, and I am fully confident in their ability to bring Sycomore AM to new heights of excellence under Denis’ leadership. As a member of the Supervisory Board, it is an honour for me to continue to serve the company and support its achievements.”
Denis Panel said he was pleased to join the team. “Together, we shall build upon a rich history of strong performances and meaningful investments as we lead the company forward into a new stage of growth,” he said.
Carlo Trabattoni, CEO of Generali Group’s Asset & Wealth Management business unit, underlined that Sycomore is a key pillar in the development of the Generali Investments ecosystem. “We are delighted with the arrival of Denis, who will contribute to the next phase of growth of the company,” he said.
Panel began his career in 1994 at Société Générale AM where he served as a fixed income fund manager before joining Crédit Agricole AM in 1997, where he was later appointed global head of multi-asset investments in 2004. Denis was recruited by BNP Paribas Asset Management in 2007 to head the Sigma group, where he steered the unit’s global development; he was then appointed CEO of Theam in 2013, an index-linked and quantitative asset management firm, which included teams of portfolio managers, analysts, and specialist sales professionals. Panel is a qualified actuary and graduated from the Institut de Science Financière et d’Assurances – ISFA.