Business Structure

Lisa Bruot joined Comgest in 1999 and is Head of Investor Services as well as a non-executive member of the Board of Partners.

Lisa manages the Investor Services team, which consists of separate Client Reporting and RFP teams. Since she joined, Lisa has been responsible for the development of Comgest’s Investor Services team, which previously encompassed Comgest’s marketing, investment communications and press relations activities in addition to providing support to Investor Relations across Comgest’s global offices. Lisa is also a former member of Comgest's Capital and Compensation Committee (CCC) Working Group.

Lisa holds a Bachelor’s degree in French from the University of Reading (United Kingdom).

Jean-François Canton, a non-voting member (“Censor”) 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).

Monique Cohen is an independent member of the Supervisory Board of Hermès International (Vice-Chair), Lead Director of the Safran Group and was appointed to the Board of Directors of BNP Paribas on February 12, 2014. Since July 2020, Monique has been a Senior Advisor at Apax Partners. Prio to her current role, she was a partner in charge of investments in the business services and financial services sectors at Apax Partners from 2000 to 2020. Until September 2014, Monique was a member of the Board of the French Financial Markets Authority, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. She began her career in 1979 at Paribas, where she was Senior Banker, then Global Head of Equities.

Monique is a graduate of École Polytechnique (X76) in France, holding a Master's degree in Mathematics and a Bachelor's degree in Business Law.

Jan-Peter Dolff joined Comgest in 1997 and is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Comgest Group. He is a member of the Group's Board of Partners, Executive Committee (Chair) and Sustainability Committee.

Upon joining Comgest, Jan-Peter held fund management responsibilities for the 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. Jan-Peter then held the role of Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Comgest Group.

He holds a Master’s degree (Diplom-Kaufmann) in Business Administration from Heinrich-Heine-Universität (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).

Jasmine Kang joined Comgest in 2014 and is a Hong Kong-based Analyst and Portfolio Manager specialising in Greater China equities as well as a non-executive member of the Board of Partners and a Managing Director of Comgest Far East Limited.

Jasmine co-manages Comgest’s China strategy. Before joining Comgest, she worked at China Everbright Asset Management as Investment Director responsible for China onshore and offshore equity research and investment. Jasmine began her career in 2005 at BNP Paribas Investment Partners where she focused on Asian equities as a research analyst and portfolio manager.

A native Mandarin speaker, Jasmine has a Master’s degree in International Economics from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and completed Harvard Business School’s Senior Executive Leadership Program. She is a CFA^® charterholder.

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 and the Global Equity Team manager.

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 and is a Human Resources Manager for CAMIL and the Comgest Group, as well as a non-executive member of the Board of Partners.

Prior to moving to HR, Richard was CAMIL’s Internal Control and Monitoring Officer, a role he performed for around 10 years. He is also a member of CAMIL’s Executive Management Team. Before joining Comgest, Richard 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 is the Chair and an independent member of the Board of Partners. She 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 is 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.

Franz Weis joined Comgest in 2005 and is a Portfolio Manager specialising in European equities. In addition to being the Group’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO), he is also a Managing Director and a member of the Executive Committee. 

Franz leads the firm's European research efforts and co-leads the management of the majority of Comgest’s European equity strategies. In his role as CIO, Franz oversees the firm’s investment teams and chairs the Investment Committee, which is responsible for applying Comgest’s philosophy on successful long-term investing. 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 1996.

Franz 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.

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.

Jan-Peter Dolff joined Comgest in 1997 and is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Comgest Group. He is a member of the Group's Board of Partners, Executive Committee (Chair) and Sustainability Committee.

Upon joining Comgest, Jan-Peter held fund management responsibilities for the 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. Jan-Peter then held the role of Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Comgest Group.

He holds a Master’s degree (Diplom-Kaufmann) in Business Administration from Heinrich-Heine-Universität (Germany).

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

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 Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Comgest S.A., as well as 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).

Ian Lewis joined Comgest in 2021 and is Head of Investor Relations, responsible for our client relationships globally. He is also a member of the Group’s Executive Committee and the Sustainability Committee.

Ian Lewis has over 30 years’ experience in the industry, starting his career as an investment consultant before working for a number of investment firms in client relationship and distribution roles. He joined Comgest from Nikko Asset Management where he was the Global Head of Investment Proposition and Consultant Relations. Before this, he worked for a number of UK-based asset managers in a variety of senior management distribution roles, including Mercury Asset Management (now Blackrock), UBS Global Asset Management and also smaller boutique firms.

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 Sustainability 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 and Sustainability Committees.

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 a Portfolio Manager specialising in European equities. In addition to being the Group’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO), he is also a Managing Director and a member of the Executive Committee. 

Franz leads the firm's European research efforts and co-leads the management of the majority of Comgest’s European equity strategies. In his role as CIO, Franz oversees the firm’s investment teams and chairs the Investment Committee, which is responsible for applying Comgest’s philosophy on successful long-term investing. 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 1996.

Franz 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.