The Zurich Project: Build a Great Investment Firm - presented by MOI Global

James Ferguson, Principal at Global Endowment Management in Charlotte, NC, discusses GEM's investment process.

James is a principal and head of public investments at Global Endowment Management. His primary responsibilities include research, selection, and ongoing monitoring of public equity and hedge fund managers, as well as selection and oversight of GEM’s internally-managed public security investments. James joined Global Endowment Management in 2012, following six years at Childress Klein Properties, a leading private real estate developer in the Southeast. He holds a BA in economics from Duke University and an MBA from Wake Forest University. He is a CFA charterholder.

Arko Kadajane, Portfolio Manager of Ambient Sound Investments, based in Tallinn, Estonia, discusses the investment decision process of his family office.

Arko is responsible for listed equity investments, investing ASI’s stock portfolio based on value-investing principles. Investments are made into different sectors except for non-ethical industries. As Arko has been involved in stock markets since 1996 and has previously worked in the fields of private equity as well as listed equity, he has extensive expertise in qualitative and quantitative business factors. Arko enjoys cycling and the peace and quiet of cross-country skiing. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international business administration from the Estonian Business School.

Arko Kadajane, Portfolio Manager of Ambient Sound Investments, based in Tallinn, Estonia, discusses the investment decision process of his family office.

Arko is responsible for listed equity investments, investing ASI’s stock portfolio based on value-investing principles. Investments are made into different sectors except for non-ethical industries. As Arko has been involved in stock markets since 1996 and has previously worked in the fields of private equity as well as listed equity, he has extensive expertise in qualitative and quantitative business factors. Arko enjoys cycling and the peace and quiet of cross-country skiing. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international business administration from the Estonian Business School.

Abdallah Toutoungi, private investor and Chairman of Cordoba Consulting Corporation, based in Accra, Ghana, discusses Dan Ariely’s principles of behavioral economics.

Abdallah is chief capital allocator of Cordoba Fund. Having lived on the bleeding edge of technology for many years, Warren and Charlie were a breath of fresh air and a reason to slow down and contemplate business and life. After leaving Microsoft, Abdallah set up a family-and-friends fund and has enjoyed the wisdom-seeking journey and the deep intellectual content that value investing brings to his life.

Steven Kiel, Chief Investment Officer of Arquitos Capital Management, based in Larchmont, NY, discusses his approach to investing in private companies through a controlled public company. Steve talks about his background and how he took control of a public company, Sitestar Corporation, creating a permanent capital vehicle.

Steven Kiel is the president of Arquitos Capital Management and serves as CEO of Sitestar Corporation. He is also a captain and Judge Advocate in the Army Reserves and a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has led a nonprofit consulting firm and was a major gift officer at a nationally recognized public policy organization. Steven is a graduate of George Mason School of Law and Illinois State University and is a member of the bar in Illinois and Washington, DC. A Chicago native, he lives with his wife and two golden retrievers in Coronado, CA.

Samir Patel, portfolio manager of Askeladden Capital Management, discusses grit, growth, and trait adaptivity, or "why elephants should not take up competitive rock-climbing". The dilemma is how to balance having a growth mindset (and the "grit" to push yourself) with the humility to focus on playing games you can win based on a recognition of your underlying and somewhat immutable character traits. One of the specific anecdotes used to illustrate the topic is Samir' non-normative circadian rhythm.

Samir is the founder and portfolio manager of Askeladden Capital, a concentrated, value-oriented long-only small-cap fund in Texas. Outside of investing, he enjoys listening to pop-punk, writing fiction, and exploring the great outdoors.

Zeke Ashton discusses lessons learned about the investment process following an in-depth internal review of mistakes made over the long term.

Zeke has managed the Centaur Total Return Fund (formerly called the Tilson Dividend Fund) since its inception in March 2005. Zeke is the founder and managing partner of Centaur Capital Partners. Founded in 2002, Centaur Capital Partners specializes in value-oriented investment strategies. Prior to launching Centaur Capital, Zeke served as an investment analyst and featured writer for The Motley Fool, an investment media company. From 1995–2000, Zeke worked in treasury and risk management consulting, where he worked as a consultant and project manager for various clients in Europe and North America. Zeke graduated from Austin College in Sherman, Texas in 1995 with degrees in Economics and German.

Johan Bynelius of Fair Investments in Stockholm, Sweden shares perspectives on Warren Buffett’s quote, “I am a better investor because I am a businessman and a better businessman because I am an investor.”

Johan has been an entrepreneur since young age. He started his first “toll bridge” when he was four years old as gate opener for cars passing the cow meadow. In his young years and teenage years he entered into ventures ranging from animal breeding, party and travel arranger, wrecked cars speculator, all the way to running a toilet advertising company. In his professional life he was one of five owners of Accept, a Swedish Management Consulting company, worked as an intrepreneur inside Öhman Fondkommission and EFG Investment Bank, running his own company with separate accounting inside the structure of the banks. In 2011 he founded Fair Investments, the only asset manager in Sweden with a strict performance-based fee model.

Daniel Gladis, member of The Zurich Project and portfolio manager of Vltava Fund, explains why having the right type of investors is a necessity for long-term survival and success in investment management. Daniel is based in the Czech Republic and has built an impressive long-term investment track record.