Siguler Guff Hosts Investors in Brazil
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL, December 12, 2022 – Siguler Guff & Company, LP (the “Firm”), a leading global multi-strategy private markets investment firm with approximately $17 billion of assets under management, hosted a group of investors in Brazil beginning on Sunday, December 4, 2022. Representatives from a diverse group of the Firm’s investors, including pension funds, multi-family offices, endowments and foundations, joined Co-Managing Partners Drew Guff and Ken Burns on the weeklong excursion that included information sessions, meetings with local institutional partners, and a trip to the National Congress of Brazil and the country’s Supreme Court.
Cesar Collier, Partner and Head of Latin America for the Firm, said, “The country’s recent presidential election was divisive, and the local macroeconomic environment has become more tumultuous as Brazil awaits the return of President-elect Lula to office next year. We hoped that this trip would show our global investor base that investment opportunity in Brazil continues to exist when partnering with an experienced firm dedicated to employing local, on-the-ground investment professionals like Siguler Guff.”
Siguler Guff has been an investor in Brazil for years, specifically through its global emerging markets-focused commingled funds and related separately managed accounts, and established an office in São Paulo in 2011. The São Paulo office is currently staffed by ten team members, each of whom is a local, well-networked investment professional with deep experience in the region. The Firm’s special situations strategy seeks to find uncorrelated returns by providing flexible capital solutions to companies in Brazil, allowing them to unlock liquidity from legal claim credit-rights.
Indeed, the Firm’s established network in Brazil was on display, with presentations featuring guest speakers including Mr. Maílson Ferreira da Nóbrega, economist and former Finance Minister, Mr. William Waack, political science expert and lead anchor of CNN Brazil, and Mr. Andre Esteves, the founder and chairman of BTG Pactual, one of the region’s leading investment banks. Siguler Guff also held an interactive panel of both local and international investors to discuss current views on Brazil’s role in private markets investing.
Interspersed with business meetings were unique opportunities to socialize, learn about Brazilian culture, and enjoy the country’s hospitality. The group’s visitors cheered alongside locals as the Brazilian team won the 2022 World Cup’s Round of 16 soccer match and dined on traditional barbecue at a local churrascaria. During a Beach Tennis tournament, new players learned to compete while barefoot on a court made of sand and surrounded by palm trees.
Fernando Arakaki, a Managing Director on Siguler Guff’s emerging markets investment team, said, “The programming we planned was intended to provide our investors with a well-rounded sense of how we operate in Brazil – which can only be described as the perfect mix of business and enjoyment. The only negative feedback we received was that perhaps the week’s agenda was too packed!”
Siguler Guff looks forward to continuing to welcome future investor groups to Brazil in an effort to share its expansive and unique knowledge of the country and its investment opportunities.