Aref Karim FCA (Bengali: আরেফ করিম; born 7 February 1953) is a Bangladeshi-born British accountant, hedge fund manager, and founder, chief executive officer and chief investment officer of Quality Capital Management (QCM).
Aref Karim | |
|---|---|
আরেফ করিম | |
| Born | 7 February 1953 |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Citizenship | British |
| Occupation(s) | Hedge fund manager, commodity trading advisor |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Title | Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Quality Capital Management |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | www |
Early life
editKarim's father worked into the civil service and then the British government worked up and became a senior officer in government of Bengal under British rule until 1947.[1]
Karim was born in East Bengal, Pakistan (now Bangladesh).[2] He is the youngest of 10 siblings, he has three brothers and six sisters. He attended a private American missionary school, then went to an American college and read English and economics at university. However, when the Bangladesh Liberation War broke out the university closed down and Karim continued his degree in Karachi, West Pakistan.[1]
In the early 1970s,[2] during the first year of his master's degree,[1] he left East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) when he got caught in the middle of the Bangladesh Liberation War so when the opportunity came he fled.[2]
Career
editKarim moved to London and found a job as an articled clerk.[2] In 1978, he qualified as a chartered accountant.[3]
After serving in public practice as senior audit manager for some years in London,[4] Karim joined the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) as a financial manager on a two-year contract.[2] Two years became four years, became six, became 12, and he went into investment management role.[2] During his tenure at ADIA as Senior Investment Manager, he looked after the investment policies, strategies and asset allocation for a multibillion-dollar Alternative Investment Portfolio. He was with the institution from March 1982 until May 1995 before returning to the UK.[5]
In September 1995,[2] Karim moved from the buying (allocation) to selling (fund management),[6] and in December 1995[1] founded his own hedge fund Quality Capital Management (QCM) based in Weybridge, Surrey.[7][8] He relocated to Weybridge, partly so his children would be educated there.[2] He is the board member, chief executive officer and chief investment officer, carrying responsibility for the firm's investment strategies and research.[4] In the years since, QCM has returned more than 600 per cent growth to its investors, with only two negative years.[2] It has assets in the region of £150 million according to the Sunday Times Rich List.[9][10] In 2008, the hedge fund made £42.9m profit on £49.3m sales,[3] returning 59 per cent.[11]
Karim has academic knowledge of physics, chemistry and mathematics as well as a chartered accountancy qualification. He is also a hedge fund investor.[12] He is also Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).[4]
Awards and nominations
editIn January 2015, Karim was nominated for Businessman of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards.[13]
Personal life
editKarim has three children. His wife died in 1992.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "Aref Karim of QCM: from accountant to Hedge fund CEO". Top Traders Unplugged. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Wright, Rupert (29 April 2011). "A small but perfectly formed fund". The National. Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Surrey's Richest 50 2010 – 20 to 11". Surrey: Surrey Life. 5 April 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ a b c "QCM: Aref Karim". Quality Capital Management. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ "Quality Capital Management". Absolute Returns. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ "EuroHedge Summit 2009". Hedge Fund Conferences & Awards. April 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2014. Aref Karim, Quality Capital Management
- ^ "The Interview – Aref Karim, Quality Capital Management: "We see managed futures playing a bigger part in a portfolio as uncertainties prevail in traditional markets"". Hedgeweek. 4 April 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ Collins, Daniel P. (23 February 2007). "Aref Karim: Allocating profits". Futures. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ Reed, Kevin (26 April 2010). "Accountants make Rich List". Accountancy Age. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ "UKs Richest Accountants Revealed". Accountant.co.uk. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ Campbell, Mary (22 June 2010). "Q&A: QCM Head Aref Karim Says 'It Pays To Be Patient'". FINalternatives. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ McIntosh, Bill (14 November 2011). "Quality Capital Management". The Hedge Fund Journal. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
- ^ "British Muslim Awards 2015 finalists unveiled". Asian Image. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.