DeAM expands New York fund of funds team

Deutsche Asset Management (DeAM) is expanding its fund of funds business with the appointment of four new directors to its New York-based team. Steven Bossi, Mustafa Jama, John Gallagher and Lance Babbit take up newly created positions and will report to Ray Nolte, managing director for Deutsche's absolute return strategies group that manages more than $5 billion in assets, including $4 billion in multi-manager fund of funds.

Bossi joins DeAM as a senior portfolio manager and hedge fund analyst from AI International Corporation, a US-based investment firm. As president at AI, Bossi was responsible for the management of the investment portfolio of a family whose total assets exceeded $1 billion. He was also responsible for risk management, investment policy and investment manager selection. Prior to AI, he was a portfolio manager for Connecticut-based health insurance company Aetna Life and Casualty.

Jama also joins as a portfolio manager and hedge fund analyst. He joins the fund of funds team after six years at Deutsche Bank and Bankers Trust. During this time he held various senior positions, including working as an interest rate trader on the derivatives desk at Bankers Trust in New York. He also worked as a trader and options portfolio manager for equity, fixed income and currency derivatives, as well as managing a long-short opportunistic hedge fund.

Gallagher joins as a portfolio manager following three years at Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown’s absolute return group, where he was responsible for structuring alternative investments. Before that he was at Banc of America Securities and has previously managed his own consulting firm specialising in alternative investments.

Finally, Babbit joins DeAM as a hedge fund analyst and portfolio manager. He comes from Banc of America Securities in San Francisco, where he was a vice-president responsible for direct research and due diligence for more than 300 clients in the central, mountain and Pacific regions. He was also responsible for providing hedge fund client consultation on all aspects of business issues. Before that he was a vice-president and senior analyst of alternative asset management and hedge funds at Chase Capital Partners.