Business Structure

Marie-Pierre de Bailliencourt specialises in Executive Management for industrial, institutional and geopolitical domains within international or complex environments. She is currently a lecturer at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) on negotiations and decision-making processes.

Marie-Pierre is the former deputy CEO of Naval Group, an industrial defence contractor focused on naval design, manufacturing and maintenance, as well as a former Senior Vice President at Bull, an information technology and services company. She previously held senior positions at Dassault Systèmes, McKinsey, Rexel and began her career as sherpa of two Secretary Generals of the United Nations, Boutros Boutros Ghali and Kofi Annan.

Marie-Pierre holds a doctoral degree in Political Science & International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS; USA) and a PhD summa cum laude in Geopolitics, from the Paris-Sorbonne University (France).

Jean-François Canton acts as a non-executive member of the Board of Partners, is one of the two co-founders of Comgest and remained the CEO until his retirement in 2010.

With a strong background in Asian investments, Jean-François launched Comgest’s first Asian equity strategy in 1989, before developing the Global Equity strategy in 1991. Prior to Comgest, he started his career managing foreign equity investments at the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations in Paris and then joined Banque Indosuez as a senior fund manager, investing in the Pacific Basin markets.

Jean-François holds a Master's degree in Law from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (France).

Arnaud Cosserat joined Comgest in 1996 and is now Chief Executive Officer of the Comgest Group. As CEO, he sits on the Group's Board of Partners and chairs the Executive and Investment Committees.

A long-standing Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in European equities, Arnaud also holds the role of Chief Investment Officer. The Group's Investment Committee oversees the firm’s investment teams and the application of Comgest’s philosophy to successful long-term investing. He started his career in 1989 as an Analyst at Banque Paribas, before joining Société de Bourse Oddo and then Generali as a Portfolio Manager.

He holds a Master of Science degree from the ESSEC business school (France) and is a member of the French Society of Financial Analysts (SFAF, Société Française des Analystes Financiers).

Laurent Dobler joined Comgest in 1991 and is an Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in European equities as well as a non-executive member of the Board of Partners and Deputy Managing Director of Comgest S.A.

As Comgest's longest serving investment team member, Laurent is a lead Portfolio Manager within the European equity team and has been instrumental in forging and refining Comgest's quality growth investment philosophy. He started his career in Geneva in 1986 with Banque Paribas as an Analyst and Portfolio Manager of a German equity fund before he joined the Geneva fund management team of Banque Privée Edmond de Rothschild where he specialised in European and Japanese equities.

With a degree in Economics from the Sorbonne University and a Master’s degree in Law from University Paris II, Laurent also studied at Sciences Po - Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (France), where he majored in Finance and Fiscal Policy.

Jan-Peter Dolff joined Comgest in 1997 and is now Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Comgest Group. He is a member of the Group's Executive Committee and represents the Committee on the Board of Partners.

Jan-Peter oversees the Group’s non-investment functions and serves as a non-executive director for on most Comgest subsidiaries as well as Chairman of Comgest Asset Management International Ltd. in Dublin. Upon joining Comgest, Jan-Peter held fund management responsibilities for the firm’s European and US equity strategies for eight years. Following this experience, he founded Comgest Deutschland in 2006, which he managed until returning to Paris in 2011.

He holds a Master’s degree (Diplom-Kaufmann) in Business Administration from the University of Duesseldorf (Germany).

Eva Fornadi joined Comgest in 2005 and is an Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in European equities. She is also a non-executive member of the Board of Partners.

She co-leads the Europe Smaller Companies and Europe Opportunities strategies.

Eva graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Business Studies issued by the Oxford Brookes University in the UK and a BA in Business Studies at the International Business School in Budapest, Hungary.

Jean-Pierre Hellebuyck joined the AXA Group in 1977 where he held several roles including portfolio manager, Chief Investment Officer and currently, non-executive Vice-Chairman and Board Director of AXA Investment Managers.

Mr. Hellebuyck is member of several organisations, including the Collège de l’Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF).

Laure Négiar joined Comgest in 2010 and is an Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in Global equities. She is also a non-executive member of the Board of Partners.

Laure co-manages Comgest's Global and EAFE (Global ex-US) strategies as well as the team’s segregated accounts. Before joining Comgest, she worked at BNP Paribas Equities & Derivatives in Paris and London, and prior to that worked in several roles within the US government.

Laure obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy from Stanford University (with Honours and Phi Beta Kappa) before graduating on the Dean's list with an MSc in Management from the HEC business school in France. She is also a CFA^® charterholder.

Richard O’Toole joined Comgest in 2011 as Internal Control Officer and is a non-executive member of the Board of Partners.

Richard is also a member of CAMIL’s Executive Management Team and several strategic and operational Comgest committees at both the Group and local (CAMIL) level. Before joining Comgest, he worked in KBC Bank Ireland and prior to this worked in several different roles at Allied Irish Bank (“AIB”) in Dublin.

Richard holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public & Social Policy from the National University of Ireland, Galway. He is also an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (“CIPD”) and holds an Advanced Diploma in Personal, Leadership and Executive Coaching.

Kory Sorenson has 30 years of experience in financial services, most of which has been focused on insurance and banking. 

She was Managing Director, Head of Insurance Capital Markets of Barclays Capital and also held senior positions in the insurance capital markets and debt capital markets divisions of Credit Suisse, Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley. She began her career in the treasury department of Total SA in Paris. Kory is currently a non-executive director of Pernod Ricard SA and SCOR SE in France, The Phoenix Group in the UK, SGS in Switzerland and Bank Gutmann in Austria.

Kory Sorenson, a British citizen, was born in the US. She speaks fluent French and has a DESS degree in corporate finance from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, a Master’s degree in applied economics from the University of Paris Dauphine, a Bachelor’s degree in econometrics and political science from the American University in Washington, D.C. and certificates in governance from Harvard Executive Education, INSEAD, and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Vincent Strauss acts as the Chairman and a non-executive member of the Board of Partners and was formerly the CEO and CIO of the Comgest Group, retiring in 2016.

Vincent launched Comgest’s Global Emerging Markets strategy in 1994 and was one of the lead portfolio managers for over 20 years. Prior to Comgest, he was a Director at Batif and then Multifinance International. He started his career at Crédit Commercial de France and joined Banque Indosuez (Paris) in 1982 where he became lead portfolio manager of the bank’s Asian equities portfolios.

Vincent graduated from the HEC School of Management (Switzerland) and completed a PhD in Economics at Université Paris 2 Pantheon-Assas (France).

Chantana Ward joined Comgest in 1999 and is an Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in Japanese equities. She is also a non-executive member of the Board of Partners.

Chantana co-leads portfolios within Comgest’s Asia including Japan and Japanese equity strategies, and has been an important contributor to the development of these strategies. Based in Paris, she travels regularly to Japan to research companies and spend time with the Tokyo-based team members. 

Chantana holds an MSc in Finance from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business in New York, a dual diploma with The American University of Paris.

Lavinia Borcia joined Comgest in 2014 and is Global Head of Finance for the Comgest Group as well as a member of the Group's Executive Committee. 

Lavinia works with the finance teams across Comgest's entities, oversees the consolidated financial reporting of the Group and its transfer pricing policy. She supervises the Group’s dividend distribution and cash management, and assists in facilitating access to the shareholder structure. She began her career in 2006 as a Financial Auditor at Mazars, covering the asset management sector. Lavinia moved to AXA Investment Managers in 2011 where she was CFO of the Group’s structured finance division. 

Lavinia holds a Master’s degree in Accounting, Auditing and Control from the Paris-Sorbonne University (France) and is a Chartered Accountant.

Arnaud Cosserat joined Comgest in 1996 and is now Chief Executive Officer of the Comgest Group. As CEO, he sits on the Group's Board of Partners and chairs the Executive and Investment Committees.

A long-standing Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in European equities, Arnaud also holds the role of Chief Investment Officer. The Group's Investment Committee oversees the firm’s investment teams and the application of Comgest’s philosophy to successful long-term investing. He started his career in 1989 as an Analyst at Banque Paribas, before joining Société de Bourse Oddo and then Generali as a Portfolio Manager.

He holds a Master of Science degree from the ESSEC business school (France) and is a member of the French Society of Financial Analysts (SFAF, Société Française des Analystes Financiers).

Jan-Peter Dolff joined Comgest in 1997 and is now Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Comgest Group. He is a member of the Group's Executive Committee and represents the Committee on the Board of Partners.

Jan-Peter oversees the Group’s non-investment functions and serves as a non-executive director for on most Comgest subsidiaries as well as Chairman of Comgest Asset Management International Ltd. in Dublin. Upon joining Comgest, Jan-Peter held fund management responsibilities for the firm’s European and US equity strategies for eight years. Following this experience, he founded Comgest Deutschland in 2006, which he managed until returning to Paris in 2011.

He holds a Master’s degree (Diplom-Kaufmann) in Business Administration from the University of Duesseldorf (Germany).

Monique Jozeau joined Comgest in 2016 and is Group Corporate Secretary as well as a member of the Group's Executive Committee.

As Group Corporate Secretary for Comgest S.A. and Comgest Global Investors in Paris, she is also responsible for Comgest Shareholder Services and advising the Board of Partners. Monique started her career in 2002 as a Certified Business Attorney in Brazil, working for a state judge and state attorney. Relocating to France in 2008, she joined the legal department of BNP Paribas in 2009. Monique joined TAIB Securities in the Kingdom of Bahrain in 2011, working first as Head of Legal and Compliance and then as General Counsel and Company Secretary of TAIB Bank Group.

Monique holds Master’s degrees in International Business Law, Common Law and Comparative Law from University of Paris V (France), as well as Brazilian Law from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (Brazil). She is a Bar-qualified attorney in Brazil.

Philippe Lebeau joined Comgest in 2009 and is now a Deputy Managing Director of Comgest S.A. and a member of the Comgest Group's Executive Committee.

Philippe sits on a number of Group governance bodies and contributes to strategic projects.  He previously held the position of Global Head of Marketing & Investor Relations from 2009-2021. He began his career at the chartered surveyor Insignia Bourdais (now CBRE), providing real estate advisory services to French institutional investors, before moving to Banque du Louvre where he held various asset management advisory and marketing roles. He was later appointed Managing Director of LGI, the Luxembourg subsidiary of HSBC Private Bank France, where he was Head of Business Development and Multi-management activities. Philippe held the position of CEO of Louvre Gestion (now HSBC Private Wealth Managers) before joining Comgest.

Philippe graduated from the HEC School of Management and Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (France).

Janice Olyarchuk joined Comgest in 2007 and is Global Head of Compliance, Legal & Risk for the Comgest Group as well as a member of the Group's Executive and Responsible Investment Committees.

Janice was Managing Director of Comgest Asset Management International Ltd. in Dublin before relocating to Paris for her present role in 2012. Prior to joining Comgest, she was Head of Legal and Associate Director at Bank of Ireland Global Markets in Dublin. Janice also worked as an attorney with Muchnick, Golieb & Golieb in New York City; as a business and legal analyst with BankBoston in Boston; with early technology start-ups; and with the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.   

Janice holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina. She is a member of the Bars of New York and Massachusetts.

Camille Pons joined Comgest in 2012 and is Global Head of Human Resources for the Comgest Group as well as a member of the Group's Executive Committee.

Camille is responsible for developing and implementing HR strategy alongside Comgest's executive management and ensuring the continuity and success of Comgest’s culture across the Group's international entities. She began her career at Dexia BIL in Luxembourg as HR Business Partner and was later appointed Head of HR at their French subsidiary, RBC Dexia Investors Services, in Paris. 

Camille holds a Master’s degree in International Human Resources Management from the Ecole Supérieure de Management d'Angers (France).

David Raper joined Comgest in 2002 and is an Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in Asia Pacific ex Japan equities as well as a member of the Comgest Group's Executive and Investment Committees.

David leads the firm’s Asian research efforts and co-leads Comgest’s Asia Pacific ex Japan and Asia ex Japan strategies. He is a key contributor to the Emerging Markets strategy. Prior to joining Comgest, he worked in Hong Kong for ING Barings covering Asian equities from 1999-2001.

David is a CFA^® charterholder and graduated from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) with a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a second major in Marketing.

Bertrand Waquet joined Comgest in 2014 and is Global Head of Operations & Systems for the Comgest Group as well as a member of the Group's Executive Committee.

Bertrand works with the operational teams across Comgest’s entities in addition to overseeing project management, IT, data management, fund performance and Middle Office. He began his career in 2003 as a Project Manager with BNP Paribas Asset Management, where he was in charge of global projects including portfolio referential implementation and setting up a BCP across its international locations. In 2008, he joined Mazars where he became a Senior Manager in charge of their asset management consulting practice. 

Bertrand holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Law and two Master’s degrees in “HR Management & Company Strategy and Administration” and “Corporate Management” from the Université de Tours (France). He has a Green Belt 6 Sigma certification and Black Belt training.

Franz Weis joined Comgest in 2005 and is an Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in European equities as well as a Managing Director of the Comgest Group and member of the Group's Executive and Investment Committees.

Franz leads the firm's European research efforts and co-leads the management of the majority of Comgest’s European equity strategies. He started his career in 1990 at Baillie Gifford & Co. where he worked as a Portfolio Manager before joining F&C Asset Management as a Senior Portfolio Manager and Director of European Equities in 1999.

He graduated from Heriot-Watt University (Scotland) with a Master’s degree in International Banking and Financial Studies and received the International Bankers in Scotland Prize in 1990.

Emil Wolter joined Comgest in 2012 and is an Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in Asian and Global Emerging Markets equities as well as a member of the Comgest Group's Executive and Investment Committees.

Emil leads the firm's Emerging Markets research efforts and has co-led the firm’s Global Emerging Markets strategy since 2014. Emil started his career in 1995 with Pictet Asset Management in London, specialising in Asian and Emerging Markets equities since 1997. He went on to head the Emerging Markets team at Polar Capital Partners in both London and Singapore. In Singapore, he also worked as Managing Director responsible for regional equity strategy at Royal Bank of Scotland and later at Macquarie Securities.

Emil graduated from the University of London (UK) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Financial Economics.