OUR INVESTMENT TEAM

Zak Smerczak joined Comgest in 2016 and is a Paris-based Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in Global equities. He is also a member of the Comgest Group's Investment Committee.

Prior to joining Comgest, Zak worked at Polar Capital from 2015 as an Analyst / Portfolio Manager for the firm’s global multi-asset income strategy. Before that, he was an Analyst at Mirabaud Asset Management from 2011, covering Global equities. He began his career in 2006 at Deloitte in London, initially in Assurance & Advisory Services before moving to Transaction Services, where he was responsible for operational and financial due diligence.

Zak holds a Bachelor of Business Science Degree in Finance (Honours) from the University of Cape Town (South Africa). He is a CFA^® charterholder and has been a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland since 2009.

Liudmila Strakodonskaya joined Comgest in 2024 and is a Paris-based ESG Analyst responsible for coverage of US equities.

Prior to joining Comgest, Liudmila worked as an ESG Analyst at AXA IM in Paris, where she developed thematic research, analysis and shareholder engagement on ESG topics with a focus on biodiversity and gender diversity. She represented AXA IM at the Finance for Biodiversity Foundation (FfBF) and co-chaired the FfBF’s Impact Assessment Working Group to help build and share knowledge on biodiversity metrics among investors. She was also involved in the creation of the Nature Action 100 initiative as a member of the launching investor group. Liudmila previously worked at Eleva Capital in Paris from 2019 as an ESG/SRI Analyst, contributing to the development and implementation of the company’s ESG strategy, and began her career in 2016 at EthiFinance in Paris as a Sustainable Investment Analyst specialising in ESG research and reporting.

Liudmila holds a PhD in Economics, with expertise in sustainable finance, from Paris II Panthéon-Assas University (France), for which she received a grant from FIR-UN PRI in 2016.

Justin Streeter joined Comgest in 2015 and is a Paris-based Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in US equities.

Prior to joining Comgest, Justin worked at J.P. Morgan in San Francisco as an M&A Healthcare Analyst from 2013 and previously in London in a similar role for the firm. He began his career at Macquarie Capital Partners (London) and at Société Générale (Paris).

Justin holds a Master’s degree in Management and Corporate Finance from Emlyon Business School (France). He is a CFA^® charterholder.

Slabbert van Zyl joined Comgest in 2014 and is a Paris-based Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in Global Emerging Markets equities.

Prior to joining Comgest, Slabbert qualified as a chartered accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and gained six years’ experience as a South African Investment Analyst in Cape Town.

Slabbert holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Pretoria and a post-graduate qualification in Accounting from the University of Johannesburg, both in South Africa. He is a CFA^® charterholder.

Chantana Ward joined Comgest in 1996 and is an Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in Japanese equities. She is also a non-executive member of the Board of Partners.

Chantana joined Comgest early in her career, initially working across Asian equities before specialising in Japan. She has been a key contributor to the long-term development of the Japan strategy and travels regularly to Japan to research companies and work closely with the Tokyo-based team.

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

Franz Weis joined Comgest in 2005 is a Paris-based Portfolio Manager specialising in European equities. In addition to serving as the Group’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO), he is Managing Director of Comgest Global Investors and a member of the Group’s Board of Partners and Executive Committee.

In his role as CIO, Franz oversees the Group’s Investment team and chairs both the Sustainability Committee and Investment Committee, which are responsible for applying Comgest’s philosophy on successful long-term investing.

Prior to joining Comgest, Franz worked at F&C Asset Management in London from 1996 as Senior Portfolio Manager and Director of European Equities. In 1990, he began his career at Baillie Gifford & Co. in Edinburgh as an Analyst and a Portfolio Manager.

Franz holds a Master’s degree in International Banking and Financial Studies from Heriot-Watt University (Scotland), where he received the International Bankers in Scotland Prize in 1990.

Xing Xu joined Comgest in 2020 and is a Paris-based ESG Analyst and Portfolio Manager responsible for ESG coverage of Global Emerging Markets and Asian equities.

Prior to joining Comgest, Xing completed internships at Comgest, the Fosun Group (China), working on strategic investment deals in the technology and financial sectors, and at GF Securities, a leading financial services company in China, within their equity research department.

Xing holds Master’s degrees in Management and Financial Markets from EDHEC Business School (France) and a Bachelor of Science degree in International Economics and Trade from the University of Nottingham (UK & China).

Jimmy Yang joined Comgest in 2019 and is a Hong Kong-based Analyst and Portfolio Advisor specialising in Greater China equities.

Prior to joining Comgest, Jimmy worked at T. Rowe Price Investment Management in Hong Kong, where he built, maintained and updated financial models for Asian technology and internet companies and assisted senior analysts in deepening coverage of these sectors. He began his financial career at China Renaissance Securities in Hong Kong as an Equity Associate Analyst, specialising in the Asian technology and internet sectors.

Jimmy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (Honours) from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Frédéric Yoboué joined Comgest in 2021 and is a Paris-based Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in Global equities.

Prior to joining Comgest, Frédéric worked for three years at Bryan, Garnier & Co. in Paris as a Research Equity Analyst focused on European semiconductor companies. He previously held internship positions as a Buy-Side Equity Analyst for companies including Comgest, LFPI AM and Amundi in Paris.

Frédéric holds a Master’s degree in Corporate Finance from Toulouse Business School and Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Toulouse School of Economics, both in France.

Baijing Yu joined Comgest in 2011 and is a Hong Kong-based Analyst and Portfolio Advisor specialising in Greater China equities. She is also a Managing Director of Comgest Far East Limited.

Prior to joining Comgest, Baijing worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong from 2010 as a Senior Analyst and then Associate, covering the Asian TMT sector. She began her career in 2007 at the Royal Bank of Scotland in New York as an investment banking Analyst covering the TMT sector and, later in Hong Kong, covering global private equity firms in the Asia-Pacific region.

Baijing holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor; US).