Pictet said on 26 February it has established the Pictet Research Institute, a new group-wide capability dedicated to research into topics with long-term implications for investment.
Based in Geneva, the institute will engage in topics ranging from macro- and geopolitics to portfolio implementation solutions. It will have its own dedicated staff of PhD-level researchers and will also collaborate with select academics and think tanks as well as draw on the Pictet Group’s internal experts.
The Pictet Research Institute will be led by Maria Vassalou (pictured), who joins Pictet from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where she was co-CIO of Multi-Asset Solutions.
With a PhD in Financial Economics from London Business School, she will report to Sébastien Eisinger, Managing Partner at Pictet.
Eisinger said: “The rapidly changing economic and market environment requires us to further strengthen our capabilities in analysing existing and developing global themes and trends. The launch of the Pictet Research Institute, through its fundamental research, will enable us to better understand and adapt to the long-term implications of these developments.
"We are pleased to welcome Maria Vassalou as head of the Institute. Her 30 years of experience as both an academic and investment professional in the asset management industry, will be instrumental in the production of original research and highlights the strategic importance of this new resource.”
Vassalou, head of the Pictet Research Institute, added: “I am very pleased to have joined Pictet to build and lead the Pictet Research Institute. Our research focus will be long-term and strategic, as opposed to tactical, aiming to drive innovation in our investment thinking, processes and offerings for the benefit of our clients and investment professionals.”
