Visio Capital Management (Pty) Limited was formed in June 2003 by Patrice Moyal?. The firm manages equity long/short hedge funds, retail unit trusts, segregated long-only mandates and Pan-African funds for mainly institutional clients. The team follows an investment approach premised upon fundamental research and analysis applied across a range of equity investment strategies depending on mandates.
Visio is one of the longest-running and largest independent South African hedge fund management companies with offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town. As of September 2015, Visio’s flagship fund returned 5192% since inception (31.1% average net annual return), with only one down year (2008, -5%). Visio also offers dollar-denominated Cayman funds. Total assets under management are in excess of R40 billion ($3.5 billion).
Two thirds of the twelve investment professional’s time is spent ‘on the road’, engaging in industry analysis, regular management contact and participation in several industry forums. The different backgrounds of the team members complement each other and include chartered accountants, mathematicians, a medical doctor, a chemical engineer and Chartered Financial Analysts. The team is also multicultural and multilingual with members being proficient in many languages such as Xhosa, Sotho, Zulu, Afrikaans, Shona, Hebrew, German and French and has an extensive network of contacts – relationships with business leaders in industry and with government decision-makers in Africa.
Visio Capital: 5192% Since Inception, 31.1% Average Net Annual Return
In this Opalesque.TV BACKSTAGE video, Craig French speaks about:
- Skill-based investing: Knowing when to concentrate and when and how to be defensive
- What Visio Capital is looking for when selecting a stock to invest
- How has Visio Capital been able to protect capital while achieving superior returns?
- Visio’s Activism: Constructive Engagement behind the scenes
- Flat structure allows diverse team to play out individual strengths
- What skills are needed to invest in Africa?
- Positive spill-over effects of managing a Pan-Africa fund
Craig French, BSc (Hons), MBA (Finance), joined Visio Capital in April 2012. His responsibilities include product development and the management of client relationships.
Prior to joining Visio, Craig worked at Alvine Capital (London) for five years as portfolio manager and analyst investing in hedge funds, both globally and across investment strategies. He was also responsible for managing fund of fund portfolios and reporting to investment committees. At the time he advised European institutions at CEO and CIO level on fund allocations at a global level.
