Longtime investment officer, hedge fund voice departs GAM

A veteran portfolio manager and investment officer at GAM Investments has left the asset management firm after nearly 15 years. Arvin Soh, who has helped institutional clients invest in hedge funds for GAM Alternative Solutions in New York, departed earlier this month.

Soh, who has often been quoted as a hedge fund expert by publications like Bloomberg, Reuters and the FT, noted in a social media post on Tuesday that he felt it was time to move in a different direction. “It is a unique company with many great people, but I believe it is time for the next adventure,” he wrote. “I truly believe the changes that have affected this industry will bring about immense opportunities.” A spokesperson for Zurich-based GAM Holding declined to comment on the departure.

Soh was one of the focuses of a recent Bloomberg article on how market volatility affected hedge funds late last year. “They should have made money,” he said. “Big picture, hedge funds are strategies that are meant to deliver during periods of uncertainty and profit from dislocations, which we have seen plenty of this year.” Soh suggested that the Q4 performance would lead to fund closures and a reduction of fees.

A year earlier, Soh predicted a hedge fund comeback based primarily on the industry’s historic ability to profit during those difficult market conditions, which clearly led to his dismay over recent performances. “They are called hedge funds for a reason,” Soh told Reuters in late 2017. “Things can’t go up forever, and that’s when we’d really expect these strategies to shine.” Of course, many hedge funds failed to do exactly that last year, leaving many investors disappointed and headed to the door. However, several hedge funds that sputtered last year performed well during the first quarter of 2019.

Soh began his career at Deutsche Bank before a short hiatus at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, after which he joined GAM.  It will be interesting to see where he believes the new opportunities lay. He didn’t immediately return a request for comment on where he is headed next.

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