René Sieber devotes his expertise, knowledge and the experience, gained throughout professional and academic careers, to consulting services. He is an Adjunct Professor of finance at the University of Geneva and worked for more than thirty-five years at the heart of financial markets, including more than twenty-five years in executive roles.

Areas of expertise include asset management, especially managing core market risks. René is a recognised pioneer in portfolio insurance, a risk-management technique that he has applied since the nineties, and to the development of which he still actively contributes. He has also been consistently engaged in the field of socially responsible investing (SRI), in which he has gained in-depth knowledge of the realities and challenges over the past twenty years. November 2019, he was appointed Chairman of the Swiss Sustainable Funds Awards Jury. These prizes are awarded by the Geneva Forum for Sustainable Investment (GFSI). June 2021, he joined the Center of Competence for Sustainable Finance (CCSF) of the University of Zurich, as a member of its Scientific Advisory Board.

His services are aimed at boards of directors, foundation boards and investment committees, all of whom can benefit from his expertise – acquired by managing assets for institutions and jointly heading a specialist investment-services firm – as well as from his professional network.

ASSET MANAGEMENT AND CORE MARKET RISKS

Within asset management, René has specialised in fixed-income investing and CPPI-based portfolio insurance – a dynamic risk-management technique for which he is a recognised pioneer in Switzerland. Accordingly, he has unique experience in designing, implementing and managing equity and currency overlays and using similar techniques in managing interest-rate risk.

SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTING (SRI)

As a director of Ethos Services SA from 2002 to 2022 (in accordance with the maximum term of office provided for by Ethos), René is fully aware of the realities and challenges inherent to SRI and puts this knowledge to use for both service providers and investors. Ethos Services SA is the operating company of Ethos, Swiss Foundation for Sustainable Development, bringing together more than two hundred twenty Swiss pension funds and public utility foundations. René Sieber was appointed Chairman of the Swiss Sustainable Funds Awards Jury in November 2019. These prizes are awarded by the Geneva Forum for Sustainable Investment (GFSI) to the best-performing funds and asset managers with the greatest commitment to socially responsible investment. Since June 2021, René Sieber also sits on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Center of Competence for Sustainable Finance (CCSF), University of Zurich, a board chaired by Professor Joseph Stiglitz. www.sustainablefinance.uzh.ch

INVESTMENT POLICIES

His broad experience in financial markets, in addition to his specialist fields, enables René to offer accurate advice to investment and supervisory committees. Since 2007, he has been a member of the Asset Management Committee of Ethos Services SA and, since 2015, its chairman. Since 2012, he has also been an external member of the Vaudoise Assurances Board Sub-Committee on Investment.

DIRECTORSHIPS AND BUSINESS CONSULTING

As co-founder of Dynagest SA, a Geneva-based asset manager, René knows how to define and secure approval for business development strategies, as well as knowing how to manage and monitor implementation. René Sieber was a director of this company for nearly twenty five years (1) and served on the board of a Luxembourg investment-fund management company for nearly twenty years (2). Board Member of Ethos Services from 2002 to 2022, he sits today on the board of different other companies.

⁽¹⁾ Board chairman for thirteen years.

⁽²⁾ Board chairman for seven years.

Université de Genève (UNIGE)

Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM) and Geneva Finance Research Institute (GFRI). René is an Adjunct Professor and teaches a course dedicated to bond management, Fixed Income and Credit Risk, as part of the M.Sc. in Wealth Management. He has close to thirty years of experience in teaching on fixed income, having lectured in finance at the University of Geneva since 1988.

Centre for Continuing and Distance Education (CFCD). From 1996 to 2015, René taught a course on currency risk management as part of the CAS (1) in Quantitative Portfolio Management, of which he became co-director in 2007. From 2020 to 2021, together with Prof. Rajna Gibson Brandon and Dr Nicole Beiner, he also co-heads the new DAS (2) in Asset Management.

⁽¹⁾ Certificate of Advanced Studies.
⁽²⁾ Diploma of Advanced Studies.

SWISS TRAINING CENTRE FOR INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS (AZEK)

Since 1991, René has taught on fixed-income modules for the training centre of the Swiss Financial Analysts Association (SFAA). He is chiefly active in the CIIA programme, which leads to the awarding of the Advanced Federal Diploma of Financial Analyst and Portfolio Manager and the Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA®) Diploma.