> CFI.co Meets the Alpen Invest Team:
Professionals at the Helm ROMAN AMBROŽ, CEO Roman Ambrož took over as CEO of the fund management firm Alpen Invest in 2008. At that time, the global financial-economic crisis caused a great decrease in the market value of assets held in investment funds. The downturn also had a negative impact on people’s trust in the financial system as a whole. Despite this unfavourable scenario – which was especially evident in Slovenia – Mr Ambrož and his team of experienced professionals managed to both maintain investors’ trust and continue the planned investment policy which was based primarily on promoting regional markets. During the crisis, Alpen Invest upgraded management and marketing systems and transformed the previously closed-end investment funds into open ones. The funds were thus aligned with UCITS (Undertakings for Collective Investments in Transferable Securities) directives. The entry of new owners into the company in 2014 added an important international dimension to Alpen Invest and improved the firm’s recognisability. Since that year, Mr Ambrož has also been member of Alpen Invest’s Management Board. Mr Ambrož joined the company in 1994, immediately after it was founded. He was the first manager of the largest Alpen Invest fund, which is still active today as a sub-fund called Alpen.si. Over the following years, he was awarded several additional responsibilities such as the co-ordination of overall fund management. In 2003, Mr Ambrož became executive director. During the entire period he was charged with the management of the firm’s investment funds, Mr Ambrož was also active in the broader field of corporate management, either as president or as a supervisory board member of a large number of Slovene companies. He also cooperated with the Slovene Association of Investment Fund Management Companies (Združenje družb za upravljanje investicijskih skladov) as member of its administrative board. Mr Ambrož holds a degree in Economics from the University of Ljubljana. He is also a winner of the Prešeren Prize awarded by that university. Mr Ambrož has more than 25 years of experience in the field of finance and asset management. In 1994, he was employed by NFD Ltd. Mr Ambrož is one of the founders of NFD1 – now named Alpen Invest – and was that firm’s first Slovenian investment fund manager. 66
SAVVAS A LIASIS Savvas A Liasis has more than fifteen years of institutional investment experience and was the founder and CEO of London-based Easybroker International Ltd. That firm was one of the largest independent institutional electronic equity brokerages in Europe with a client base in excess of 400 institutional clients in over thirty countries. Mr Liasis holds a BA and an MSc from City University Business School, London. Mr Liasis co-founded Elements Capital Partners in 2010 and serves as chairman of the Alpen Invest Supervisory Board. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of DDM Holdings AG, a publically-listed company that has acquired NPLs (non-performing loans) with a face value of EUR1bn in the region. UGUR YILDIRIM Ugur Yildirim has over 12 years of investment management experience and is a founding partner of Elements Capital Partners which manages private equity investments in distressed markets. Mr Yildirim has led asset management company start-ups in multiple countries in South Eastern Europe. He is a member of Advisory Board of Regional Business Councils. Mr Yildirim received his BSc in Mechanical Engineering at Istanbul Technical University and completed his MBA coursework at the University of Ljubljana. CFI.co | Capital Finance International
DEJAN RAJBAR Dejan Rajbar has more than fifteen years of experience in the financial industry. Prior to assuming his current position at Alpen Invest, Mr Rajbar was an advisor to, and member of, the Management Board of the company’s Croatian subsidiary, Neta Capital Croatia. During his career, Mr Rajbar was involved in several brownfield and start-up projects related to the financial industry. However, his passion remains portfolio management. Mr Rajbar holds several awards as a fund manager. He obtained a Bachelor´s Degree in Economics from the University of Ljubljana and is a chartered financial analyst (CFA). DAMJAN ŽUGELJ Damjan Žugelj boasts over a decade worth of experience in managerial roles. He was appointed director of the Securities Markets Agency in 2008 and held that position to 2015. Mr Žugelj also served as president of the Securities Markets Agency’s council. He participated in several IOSCO (International Organisation of Securities Commissions) committees. Until December 2014, Mr Žugelj was a member of the council of the Agency for Public Oversight of Auditing. He earned his Master’s Degree at the University of Ljubljana in 2001. Six years later, Mr Žugelj received his doctorate at the Faculty of Law of the same university. He co-authored a number of professional monographs and wrote numerous articles on the venture capital industry. i