ansa capital management is an independent, owner-managed investment boutique. We focus exclusively on total return strategies and the active management of global asset classes. For us, total return means taking total responsibility for a portfolio’s performance and risk, independent of a benchmark. Our investment decisions are based on our analysis of the interplay between macroeconomic factors and the capital markets. We employ quantitative methods throughout the entire investment process.

Our business is based on solid foundations: 20 years of knowledge and experience using quantitative methods, in addition to building and managing a successful global investment boutique.

press release April 28th, 2014

company portrait

Dr. Andreas Sauer, CFA
Principal

For 25 years, he has dedicated himself to researching and developing quantitative asset management methods and putting them into practice for the benefit of institutional investors.

His doctoral thesis at Karlsruhe University (TU) addressed this topic early on. In 1999, he was one of the co-founders and partners of what is today Quoniam Asset Management, and as CEO and CIO he turned it into the most successful investment boutique in Germany in the space of 13 years. When he stepped down in December 2012, the company had approximately EUR 18 billion in funds under management for global institutional investors. All global equities, bonds and asset allocation mandates were managed exclusively using proprietary quantitative strategies.

With ansa capital management, Andreas is taking his experience, insights and knowledge – with all their related successes and challenges – into new territory.

It was the economic developments of the past few years that first drew his attention to the interaction between macroeconomic factors and the capital markets. Andreas is convinced that successful asset allocation in the future must start with an analysis of these interdependencies. The idea for a total return investment strategy was born of this realization, coupled with his knowledge of quantitative methods. This is exactly how he aims to approach asset management at ansa.

For him, ansa capital management is a business that reflects his convictions, where he can operate without constraints and in total alignment with clients’ interests.

He teaches  “Asset Management” at University of Mannheim.

Dr. Daniel Linzmeier
Managing Partner

For more than a decade Daniel has dedicated his work to quantitative research of equities as well as several approaches for portfolio construction.

Besides his business mathematics studies at the University of Trier he worked at the Private Banking department of the DZ Privatbank S.A. in Luxembourg. There he applied his knowledge as Portfoliomanager after his graduation. He did his PhD studies at the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar on “Alpha, Downside Risk and Portfolio Construction – Efficient Implementation in Quantitative Strategies”. In February 2008 he started as Portfoliomanager Equites at today’s Quoniam Asset Management. Daniel was in charge of several institutional clients’ accounts (approx. EUR 2bn AuM) within the Equities & Asset Allocation department.

For Daniel ansa capital management represents the challenge to bring in his quantitative skills. He considers systematic macro a superior investment approach in almost any capital market environment.

Dr. Nils Unger
Partner

For more than 10 years Nils has dedicated his work to analyzing risk and return profiles of quantitative trading strategies in international capital markets.

He graduated from the University of Cologne in business mathematics with the focus on statistics and computational finance. During his Phd. studies at the Karlsruher Institute of Technology he gained profound experience in fixed income markets, portfolio and risk management approaches and did research about identifying risk premia in various asset classes. After finishing his Phd. thesis he worked as a quantitative analyst in the security division of Goldman Sachs in London.

ansa capital management provides him the opportunity to apply his experience in quantitative methods and active portfolio management strategies in a small, highly professional environment with specific expert knowledge and short decision-making channels.

Sabine Riede-Sauer
Partner

Sabine worked at SAP AG in software development for the area of HR-Time Management and Personnel Administration after her business studies. In this environment, she later worked for many years as a freelance business consultant.

With the founding of ansa she took on duties and responsibilities in the areas of personnel, marketing and administration.

Dr. Florian Bardong
Associate Director

Florian has more than 14 years of experience in quantitative asset management.

He studied international business Studies in Maastricht, NL, and Berkeley, USA. After completing his PhD in Finance & Accounting at the University of Lancaster, UK, he joined the fixed-income team of Barclays Global Investors (BGI), London, in 2007, which was taken over by BlackRock in 2009. During this time, he and his team developed quantitative investment strategies for a variety of asset classes and markets, which were implemented in total return or hedge funds. He deepened his experience as a quantitative multi-asset investor at Citadel, London, and by founding his own hedge fund. He shared his experience with quantitative asset managers through his simultaneous work as a management consultant.

For him, being part of the ansa capital management team means finding systematic and empirically validated solutions for our clients’ investment problems in a professional environment with experienced colleagues.

Prof. Dr. Demir Bektić
Director Absolute Return

Demir has been devoted to systematic active investment strategies for more than 10 years. His exclusive focus is on liquid absolute return approaches.

Besides his studies of Business Informatics at the University of Mannheim he gained practical experience in the areas of Multi-Asset and Managed Futures/CTA. As part of his doctorate on factor-based investment strategies at the Technical University of Darmstadt, he was also a visiting scholar at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

After further positions in Portfolio Management & Trading Absolute Return and as Portfolio Manager Global Macro, he was most recently Executive Director and Head of Quant Fixed Income at Deka Investment. Together with his team he was responsible for approximately 10 billion euros. He was also Managing Director of the Institute for Quantitative Capital Market Research at the DekaBank.

Demir is Adjunct Professor for Hedge Fund Management at the International University of Monaco. He was also a visiting professor at the University of Miami. He regularly presents his research at international conferences and received the Bernstein Fabozzi / Jacobs Levy Outstanding Article Award 2019 for a publication on factor investing.

For him, ansa capital management means the fulfillment of his life’s dream: the unrestricted implementation of a systematic absolute return strategy in a partnership-based corporate culture of a quant boutique.

Jakob Crasemann
Director Client Relations

Jakob Crasemann has more than ten years of experience working in B2B sales covering a variety of asset management products and strategies, such as total return, or structured products.

While studying business administration, he worked at the same time as Senior Sales Manager at DekaBank and DZ BANK AG. During this time, he was the first point of contact in the securities business for bank controls and private banking units on a national level. His focus was also on communicating fund development, sales implementation and advising decision-makers in the securities business.

For him, ansa capital management means focusing on quantitative macro strategies in a highly professional and motivated environment. His aim is to communicate the systematic investment process and the resulting fund development to our clients in a transparent and effective way.

David Grünmayer
Director Client Relations

David Grünmayer has worked closely with portfolio management teams for more than 10 years. Before and after completing his MBA at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, he worked as Sales Director for a major German investment company, advising banks, private banking managers and institutional clients on active and quantitative fund models. In addition to communicating fund development and fund policy, his focus was on fund consulting, fund sales and customer communication.

For him, ansa capital management means the best possible environment and implementation of a multi-asset strategy with a full focus on one fund. Working closely with portfolio management gives him the opportunity to pass on fund developments to clients with maximum transparency and to develop the right images and words in communication.

Dr. Alexandr Pekelis
Portfolio Manager

Dr. Alexandr Pekelis completed his bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Mannheim, where he studied the role of macroeconomic factors in empirical capital market models. As part of his master’s degree in Finance & Investments at the Rotterdam School of Management, he specialized in econometric models to describe dynamic dependencies in international capital markets. As part of his work as a research associate at the University of Mannheim, he recently dealt with quantitative methods for investment and risk management. In his dissertation, he theoretically examined different objective functions for the construction of dynamic value-preservation strategies and analyzed them on the basis of market data.

In addition to the objectivity and independence of the investment strategy, he particularly appreciates ansa’s professionalism and academic working environment within the investment boutique.

Anian Roppel
Portfolio Manager

Anian Roppel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Münster and a Master’s degree in Financial Markets from EDHEC Business School in Nice. As part of his master’s thesis, he researched econometric models for identifying macroeconomic influences on interest rate markets.

Parallel to working at ansa, Anian is doing his doctorate at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

For him, ansa capital management means the opportunity to combine academic research and applied portfolio management within a highly specialized and experienced team of experts.

Maximilian Sauer
Portfolio Manager

Maximilian received his Master’s degree in “Economics and Finance” from the University of Cambridge and previously studied at Boston University, Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen and Columbia University in New York as part of his academic education. He is particularly interested in modern machine learning approaches to asset management. In his master thesis he combined machine learning, macro-nowcasting and stock sector rotation to a comprehensive active investment strategy. The thesis was awarded with “Distinction”.

In addition to his position at ansa, Maximilian Sauer is a student in the Ph.d program of EDHEC Business School, Nice and London.

To him, ansa capital management means state-of-the-art investment strategies build from thorough discussions and genuine entrepreneurial spirit.

Nicole Stigler
Corporate Administration

Nicole is a certified management assistant with focus on business administration. She has many years of experience in all administrative areas and in project management.

Nicole’s employers include Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse Asset Management, and Allianz Global Investors. The last six years before joining ansa, she was assistant to the executive board of a medium-sized company in the pharmaceutical sector.

Nicole is responsible for all administrative duties as well as compliance.

She likes about ansa capital management that she can use her broad experience to work on demanding tasks to the highest professional standards.