Context Asset Management, a provider of alternative mutual funds for retail and institutional clients, has expanded its leadership team with the addition of Matt Rowe as Chief Strategy Officer.
Rowe brings nearly 20 years of multi-asset class investing and corporate strategy experience across alternatives to this new role at the firm, where he will oversee several key functions, including investments, strategy, risk management, distribution, operations and marketing.
Rowe will also join Context Capital Partners' (Context) leadership team. Context is an alternative specialist that launched Context Asset Management, and Rowe will be reporting to Ron Biscardi, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Context Capital Partners (Context), and John Culbertson, President and Chief Investment Officer of both Context Asset Management and Context Capital Partners. His appointment strengthens Context's senior leadership team, which expands to nine professionals and brings a combined 235 years of experience working together since the firm started in 2005.
Since 2013, Context has completed a series of strategic steps to build an alternatives specialist platform that supports managers with differentiated strategies across both liquid and illiquid markets. Recent highlights include diversifying its investment products to the growing area of alternative mutual funds, launching Context Summits to connect allocators and fund managers and acquiring Jensen Partners, a global recruiting firm that advises and executes in the sourcing of strategic recruitment of leading capital raising executives.
"Matt's addition represents a key milestone in the evolution of the Context brand and his background is completely aligned with the culture of our firm," says Biscardi. "Given our diverse business lines, which range from traditional hedge fund portfolios to liquid alternative mutual funds to hosting summits that introduce managers to allocators, Context Capital Partners offers a unique perspective on the alternative investments universe."
Context's long-term growth strategy includes managing its current offerings and adding both single and multi-manager alternative mutual funds to its platform. In the fourth quarter of 2015, the firm launched Context Macro Opportunities Fund (CMOTX), which seeks to obtain total returns with low correlation to the broad financial markets by using arbitrage and alternative investment strategies. First Principles Capital Management, a Registered Investment Advisor and a wholly-owned subsidiary of American International Group, serves as the subadviser for the Fund.
Culbertson adds: "Matt brings considerable leadership and investment management experience to Context and will play a critical role in the continued growth of our investment platform. His experience and network will serve us well as we analyse new investment products and strategies and seek to educate investors and financial advisors on our public and private offerings."
In his nearly two decades of experience, Rowe has focused on portfolio management, business management, trading, corporate development business development and operations functions. Prior to joining Context, Rowe served as Head of Liquid Strategies at Achievement Asset Management, where he was responsible for all aspects of business development, portfolio management, compliance, operations and investor relations. He also held positions as Portfolio Manager at PEAK6 Advisors and Managing Partner and Head of Trading at Tamalpais Asset Management. Previously, he was Senior Portfolio Manager of Marin Capital Partners, covering convertible securities, capital structure arbitrage and volatility strategies. He started his career as an options trader for London International Trading.
Rowe adds: "I have had the pleasure of getting to know Ron, John and the rest of the Context team over the past several years, and am excited to help build a premier alternative specialist company."
