Wealth & Finance International - Fund Awards 2016

Fund Awards 2016 32 Best Total Return Active Investment Portfolio (Since Inception): CIS Opportunities Fund & Best Securities Trading & Investment Bank – Ukraine ICU is a leading investment banking, securities and asset management firm providing a board range of financial services to private and institutional investors around the world. We caught up with Managing Director Konstantin Stetsenko to find out more about the firm’s investment offering and how the firm intends to expand upon its current success in the future. Company: ICU Name: Konstantin Stetsenko, Managing Director Email: [email protected] Web Address: https://www.icu.ua/en ICU’s award-winning team of portfolio managers and traders have deliv- ered outstanding returns to investors. The firm’s investment strategy is generated via a top-down analysis of general economic conditions and key sectors of the economy as well as a bottom-up analysis of specific securities and investment opportunities. Konstantin talks us through how the company applies this strategy to ensure that clients receive the best possible return on investment. “Here at ICU we offer a broad range of products to help our clients reach their investment goals, accommodating a variety of investment styles and risk profiles. Our team is constantly evaluating new invest- ment ideas to serve the needs of our clients. “As part of our investment strategy our Investment Committee estab- lishes a range of outcomes, sets stop loss levels and determines target position size. These targets are closely monitored at the individual position and portfolio level and rebalanced as needed, helping us to meet our objective to maximize total return via investments into liquid financial market instruments in the CIS region. We employ an active portfolio management strategy that includes leverage and short sales as well as a wide range of derivative instruments and structured products to generate returns in both rising and falling markets.” Operating a complicated investment strategy and ambitious aims means that ICU requires professional, experienced staff who are dedicated to supporting both the firm and its clients. Konstantin explains what the firm looks for in new employees and how it utilises its human resources to ensure that it gets the very most out of them and provides the best possible investment portfolios and products to clients. The very nature of the firm’s business model and business approach imply that our ser- vices are demanded most by well-educated high-net-worth individuals who are familiar with investment industry but seek for additional re- sources, first of all expertise and experience, which Konstantin is proud to state his firm and its staff are more than able to provide. LA16039 “In choosing staff, ICU look for intelligent and ambitious people who are open to continuous development of their professional knowledge and skills. This is crucial as we welcome innovations and ideas from each of our team members whom we motivate to unleash entrepreneurial potential as much as possible.” Moving forward, ICU has a programme of new funds and investment focuses which Konstantin eagerly outlines in his concluding comments. “Successful performance of our CIS Opportunity fund induced us to ex- pand our ambitions beyond the CIS region, which will be a key focus of our firm as we look towards the future. We are in the process of estab- lishing operations of our Global Opportunities Fund, which is aimed at investing in assets around the world. Also, we think that distressed debt investing is an area which offers serious challenges but high opportu- nities and deserves a development of a separate project, and we look forward to taking advantage of the opportunities that this will bring.”