HSBC continues its drive into the hedge fund business with the appointment of two experienced hedge fund managers from Bessent Capital. HSBC Alternative Investments Limited (HAIL) has appointed Vincent Bourgeois and Michael O’Mara to jointly manage a new European equity market neutral fund, which will be launched later this year. The appointments are based in London and took effect from 21 October 2002.
Vincent Bourgeois (aged 34) and Michael O’Mara (aged 38) have over ten years of experience in trading, equity analysis and fund management. They both join HSBC after spending two years with Bessent Capital in the UK, where Bourgeois was managing director equity research and O’Mara was financial analyst. Prior to joining Bessent, they both worked in Paris, where Bourgeois was a buy side analyst at Lazard Freres and equity strategist and salesman at Oddo et Cie and O’Mara was a salesman and French equity trader at CCF and salesman and market maker at Oddo et Cie.
“Vincent and Michael’s complementary skills and investment approach will help us further expand HAIL’s range of products,” says Bill Maldonado, chief executive officer of HAIL. “We plan to create a successful fund with this high calibre team, drawing on all the experience we have gained over the past four years in the alternative investment business.”
HSBC says further details of the new European equity market neutral fund will follow in due course.