Investment consultancy bfinance has appointed Donn Cox as its first head of North America to lead a growing team of consultants in the US and Canada across offices in Chicago, Toronto and Montreal.
He will be based in bfinance’s Chicago office with responsibility for building and managing the North American team, overseeing client relationships and project delivery, and accelerating growth across all channels, including institutional, wealth, and registered investment advisors (RIA).
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His mandate also includes expanding access to the firm’s newer service offerings, and strengthening collaboration across global research teams.
Cox founded LP Capital Advisors in 2004, where he was president and managing director for more than 10 years until Pavilion Financial Corporation acquired the business in 2014, after which he became president and managing director of Pavilion Alternatives Group.
After Mercer acquired Pavilion in 2018, Cox was appointed global leader at Mercer’s alternatives group.
Over the past two years, bfinance, which has been active in Canada since 2006 and opened its first office in the US in 2017, has seen “particularly strong growth” in the US RIA and wealth management channels.
According to bfinance, independent wealth platforms, multi-family offices and RIAs are seeking independent, institutional-quality, data-driven investment advisory and manager research services, “often in the form of strategic partnerships that can be integrated with their specific service models and business requirements”.
The firm said the “perceived erosion” of independent advisory services across the consulting industry amid a trend toward asset management product provision has prompted changes in the needs of its traditional institutional client channels in the US and Canada.
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“There is a real need in North America – especially in the US – for an advisory partner whose sole focus is helping investors make better decisions,” said Cox.
“I’m looking forward to building on this foundation and expanding our ability to serve institutions, family offices, and RIAs across the region.”
Cox’s appointment follows that of Tomas Bylaitis, who joined the US team in August this year as senior director client consulting.
Les Marton, managing director, Canada, and David Ness, senior director, US will report directly into the new position.
“The US and Canada represent one of the most important growth frontiers for bfinance. Since 1999, we’ve worked with institutions in nearly 50 countries as an extension of their investment teams, and our North American client base has become increasingly strategic,” added David Vafai, chief executive of bfinance.
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