Former Comgest Global Investors CEO Arnaud Cosserat has launched boutique asset management firm Aecus Partners alongside ex-Comgest portfolio manager Alistair Wittet.
The Paris-based boutique has been seeded with €100m in capital and will manage European and global equity portfolios. In 2025, it aims to launch an Irish UCITS public fund.
The firm also plans to offer “loyalty share classes” designed to benefit long-term investors with fees based on their tenure with the fund.
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Before founding Aecus Partners, Cosserat spent near three decades with Comgest, where he was CIO from 2015 to 2022 and CEO from 2016 to 2023. He co-managed the Comgest European equity strategy alongside Wittet, who left Comgest in September 2024 for the new venture.
Wittet spent over a decade with Comgest, where he was part of the portfolio management team for Comgest Growth Europe, Comgest Growth Europe ex UK and Comgest Renaissance Europe. He began his career with Standard Life Investments in 2006 and joined Citgroup in 2009 before joining Comgest.
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Ex-Comgest head of responsible development Jane Russell and chief of staff to CIO Helen Lowdon are founding partners of Aecus. Russell will lead the investor relations and development strategy, while Lowdon is head of operations.
Aecus plans to add two senior members to its investment team in 2025, and create funds that qualify for SFDR Article 8.
