Refco Alternative Investments, LLC (RAI) has hired Jan de Smedt as Vice President, Senior European Sales, according to Pierre Maliczak, Head of Europe for RAI.
De Smedt will be headquartered in London and will oversee the distribution of alternative investment products both directly, with European institutional investors, and through the expansion of strategic alliances with selected distribution partners in Europe. He joins RAI from Liability Solutions, a hedge fund placement and advisory firm in London and New York, where he was a Director.
De Smedt has more than 10 years of experience in the financial markets including four years of trading and over six years in sales. Prior to Liability Solutions, he was head of sales for Benelux for long only and hedge products at ScudderThreadneedle Investments. He began his career with Cooper Neff, an option market maker on the LIFFE floor in London after which he traded physical commodities for several years in Antwerp, Belgium. He earned an MBA from the Garvin School of International Management (‘Thunderbird’) and is conversant in five languages.
“We are delighted to welcome Jan to RAI’s expanding team,” says Maliczak. “His sales expertise and language skills create a winning combination, and we are confident that he will be an integral part of our European growth strategy.”
RAI is the alternative asset management division of REFCO. RAI expands Refco’s traditional trading and asset management capabilities into managed futures, hedge funds, and structured products to provide investors with a full range of investment choices.