Osmosis Investment Management is bolstering its quantitative and systematic investment capability with a series of senior hires from Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), including the appointment of Fadi Zaher as chief investment officer from April next year.
Zaher, formerly LGIM’s head of index solutions, will replace Robbie Parker, who is stepping down later this year after 13 years with Osmosis to pursue other opportunities.
Zaher will lead the firm’s next phase of quantitative research and product innovation, developing new factor-based strategies aligned with Osmosis’s sustainable investment focus. The firm, which manages around $17bn, said the work forms part of a wider growth plan that includes strengthening its technology and operational infrastructure and expanding its global distribution.
He will be joined by three other former LGIM colleagues – Silvio Corgiat Mecio as head of systematic solutions, Jason Lee as quantitative developer and researcher, and Fanggang (Royce) Yan as senior quantitative analyst. The new hires expand Osmosis’s proprietary research capability, which has now been split into separate research and systematic solutions functions.
“This expansion is about doubling down on our conviction and foresight. Despite recent political headwinds, investors must still navigate the complex challenges that lie ahead,” the firm told IPE.
The team will be tasked with creating and developing a range of new factor-based products. These will align with Osmosis’s sustainable focus (100% assets managed) and is part of a wider growth strategy that will see Osmosis broaden and deepen its sustainability and environmental research, strengthen the technology and operational infrastructure that underpins its process, and expand its marketing and distribution reach as it scales globally, it added.
Additionally, Colm O’Brien, former head of LGIM index for EMEA, who has joined Osmosis in September as global head of strategy, will partner closely with Zaher and the investment team to connect the firm’s systematic research with the evolving needs of institutional clients globally.
Ben Dear, chief executive officer, said: “While the current climate for sustainable investing remains politically and commercially challenging, we believe this moment presents a unique opportunity to build out our capabilities and ensure investors can navigate the complex challenges that lie ahead. These appointments are key to that commitment.”
He noted that the new team’s expertise in systematic and factor-based sustainable investment complements Osmosis’s strategy and supports its “mission to deliver innovative, climate-aligned solutions for our clients”.
Systematic/quant market
There has been an increase in the number of asset management firms boosting their systematic/quant teams over the past few months – Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management, Temple Capital and Northern Trust Asset Management are just a few examples this year.
In an email reply, Dear told IPE: “Other firms are expanding their quant teams because the industry is changing. There is growing client demand for systematic thinking, particularly as traditional active management in equities has been challenged yet again. Investors increasingly recognise that systematic approaches can provide the structure, repeatability, and transparency that discretionary models often struggle to deliver.”
He continued: “At the same time, the rise of data-driven investing allows for greater customisation. Clients want portfolios that reflect their unique objectives and constraints without compromising rigour. A systematic framework enables that. It allows investors to scale precision, tailor exposures, integrate sustainability, and manage risk consistently across large universes. That is why so many firms are strengthening their quant capabilities.”
Dear said that clients no longer want simple ESG overlays. “They want sophisticated, science-based solutions that integrate environmental and financial intelligence. Expanding and deepening our team allows us to meet that demand.”
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