Description:

With approximately $4.0 Bn in alternative assets under management (“AuM”), Olympia is one of the leading independent fund of hedge funds (FoHF) management groups in Europe. Founded in 1989 by Marc Landeau, Olympia is a pioneer in this sector in Europe.

A hedge fund is an investment company that uses techniques such as derivatives, financial leverage, short selling and special situation arbitrage in order to generate an investment performance that is uncorrelated to any market benchmark, with a minimized volatility.

Funds of hedge funds managed by Olympia offer a privileged access to this investment category through the selection of the best hedge funds and through risk reduction (both performance and operational risks) as a result of the portfolio effect.

The group, with 65 employees, is present in France, in the US, in the UK, in Switzerland and in Hong Kong.

Key financials:

In 2009, Olympia reported €19.1 million in revenue, which primarily comprises fixed management fees on assets under management and, to a lesser extent, performance fees.

Management:

The Group is managed by a board of Executive Directors comprising Laurent Dupeyron, Guido Bolliger and Arnaud Beyssan. Laurent Dupeyron is the Chief Executive Officer, Guido Bolliger is the Chief Investment Officer and Arnaud Beyssan is the Chief Financial Officer.

Sagard’s position:

Sagard is Olympia’s controlling shareholder since July 2006, alongside Marc Landeau and the management team.