Business Team
Our Client Relations and Business Development teams play the crucial role of maintaining strong, transparent relationships with clients and investors every day, ensuring constant support and up to date information from local offices and worldwide.
Alex Lasagna
Deputy CEO
Alex is the Deputy CEO of Algebris Investments, where he is in charge of the Business Development strategy and the middle-back office functions at global level.
He built his career in asset and wealth management, first at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and later at Schroders. Before joining Algebris, together with other partners, he launched an independent asset management company in Italy, IN Alternative.
Alex is Anglo-Italian and grew up between Italy and the UK. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Monetary Economics from the London School of Economics and a master’s degree in international relations & International Economics from Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies in Washington D.C. After his return to Italy, he also obtained a degree in Political Science from La Sapienza University in Rome.
Business Development
Alejandro Torriglia
Business Development, Iberia, Latam and Middle East
Alejandro joined Algebris in 2023 to support the expansion of our investor base in Iberia, UAE and LATAM.
Before joining Algebris, he completed several internships as a financial analyst at different startups for a year.
Alejandro graduated from the University of Warwick in Economics and holds a MSc in Business Administration and Finance from the London School of Economics.
In his free time, he enjoys rugby and history books, and he also loves to go water skiing every time he has the chance.
Amedeo Sambuy
Business Development, Italy
Amedeo joined Algebris in 2022 to develop the company presence in the Italian asset management market. His key responsibility is the development of the Italian institutional business through the sale of the company range of products.
Prior to joining Algebris, Amedeo spent 12 years with Columbia Threadneedle as Head of Wholesale and Institutional and also had a long experience with American Express and Standard Chartered in the financial products distribution area.
Previous experience includes the role of currency markets analyst for a financial consulting company.
He achieved a degree in Political Sciences with an emphasis on Monetary Policies from the University of Florence.
Benz Sng
Business Development, Singapore
Benz joined Algebris in 2019 to support the growing client base in Asia.
Prior to Algebris, Benz spent three years at Citco Fund Services as a Senior Operations Analyst where he worked with UK and regional Asian Fund clients, providing middle office support and client onboarding.
Benz is a CFA charter holder and holds a BSc in Banking & Finance (First Class Honours) from University of London.
Benz enjoys staying active and his hobbies include a continued interest in Badminton, which he used to play competitively.
Christian Büchler
Business Development, Germany, Austria & Switzerland
Christian joined Algebris in November 2023 as Business Development Director for Switzerland, Austria & Germany.
Christian previously worked at GAM, where he was most recently responsible for servicing financial intermediaries such as banks, family offices, insurance companies and independent asset managers in Switzerland. Prior to that, he was responsible for supporting GAM’s investor base in France/Monaco, the Benelux countries and Austria and was instrumental in establishing and expanding these locations. Christian started his career at UBS and has 15 years of experience in financial services.
Besides his mother tongue German (Swiss German), Christian is fluent in French and English. He loves nature, spends a lot of time sailing and is a passionate hunter.
Christian Chuang
Business Development, Singapore
Christian joined Algebris in 2023 with a mission to grow and strengthen our client presence in Asia ex-Japan.
He brings with him 14 years of rich industry experience, having most recently worked at HSBC Asset Management where he covered retail and private banks, insurance companies, and platforms.
Christian is a graduate of the National University of Singapore, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
He is dedicated to creating cherished memories with his family and is an avid outdoorsman, having left his mark by reaching Everest Base Camp in 2014.
Douglas Branson
Head of Business Development
Douglas joined Algebris in July 2020 as Head of Business Development. He is based in our London office.
Before Algebris, Douglas was Head of UK Distribution & a board director at GAM Investments, an independent global asset manager. He was at GAM for 16 years covering UK-based private banks, wealth managers and investment managers. In recent years, his role expanded globally to include coverage of other regions. Prior to GAM, he was a private client portfolio manager at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, where he worked for five years.
Douglas has a degree in European Philosophy and Literature from Anglia University, and holds the IMC and IAQ qualifications. He lives just outside London with his wife and their four children. Outside of work, Doug enjoys playing various sports, music, motorbiking and mountain biking. Doug is a Liveryman of the Haberdashers’ Company which is focused on educational and charitable activities.
Edward Smallwood
Business Development, UK & Ireland
Edward joined Algebris in 2019 to help develop and expand our UK client base.
Edward has worked in the Asset Management industry for over 7 years starting his career at Invesco Perpetual before moving to HSBC Asset Management and most recently Royal London Asset Management. He has spent his career working in the Wholesale Business Development teams covering UK based Private Banks, Fund of Funds and Wealth Manager clients.
He holds a BA (Hons) degree in Business Management, as well as the IMC certificate.
In his spare time he enjoys staying active having played competitive rugby but now plays golf and spends time with friends and family.
Ginevra Casalegno
Business Development, Italy and Switzerland
Ginevra is Business Development Director at Algebris and is based in London.
Ginevra joined the firm in January 2015 to support business development efforts in Italy and Switzerland from our newly launched Milan office. She moved to our London office in 2018, where she maintained coverage of the institutional and wholesale markets in Italy. From London, she follows the launch of our partnerships and onboarding of our investment funds with global distributors closely. She also helps coordinate global sales efforts with our major clients.
Prior to Algebris, Ginevra worked at BIP Consulting and School for Children ONLUS, an NGO which focuses on educational and charitable activities in India.
Ginevra holds a MSc in Economics and Industrial Organization from the London School of Economics and a BSc in International Economics and Finance from Bocconi University. Outside of work, Ginevra enjoys skiing, swimming, and hiking. She is passionate about classic and modern literature, arts, and road trips.
Jaime Fernandez-Lomana
Business Development, Iberia, Latam and Middle East
Jaime joined Algebris in 2017 to support the expansion of our investor base in Iberia.
Before joining Algebris, he worked as a financial analyst at Munich Re for two years. Prior to that, he spent five years working in several investment advisory roles at Julius Baer and Merrill Lynch, where he started his career.
Jaime is a CFA charter holder and holds a BA in Business Administration and a BA in Law from CUNEF University, Madrid.
In his free time, he enjoys horse riding and motorcycling, and he also loves to go surfing every time he has the chance.
Karolyn Krekic
Business Development, Germany, Austria & Switzerland
Karolyn Krekic joined Algebris in 2022 as Business Development Director for DACH. In August 2023, she was appointed CEO of Algebris Zurich office.
Karolyn previously worked at Capital Group as Managing Director, where she led the firm’s coverage of German Financial Intermediaries, such as banks, fund of funds, wealth managers, insurance companies and family offices. Before Capital Group, Karolyn spent over 10 years at GAM as Executive Director responsible for developing the sales strategy for Germany as well as the firm’s relationships with Intermediaries and Institutional Clients.
Karolyn started her career at Deutsche Bank and has more than 25 years of experience in the German Asset Management industry.
Karolyn speaks German, English, Croatian, and basic French. She enjoys travelling, art, different kind of sports and cooking for family & friends.
Kazuyoshi Uchikawa
Business Development, Japan
Kazuyoshi Uchikawa joined Algebris in 2024 as a Business Development Director.
He has over 25 years of experience in financial industry. Prior to Algebris, he was a relationship manager at London based Investment Management firm, covering major distributors, fund wraps and asset managers to develop their retail business. Beforehand, he spent 2 years working as a relationship manager at Asset Management firm, covering institutional investors and pension funds to promote various products, such as traditional assets, hedge funds and private assets. He previously worked at Investment banking company and Investment management company as an equity solution sales.
Kazuyoshi graduated from the University of Tokyo. He grew up in Nishinomiya City, where Hanshin Tigers franchise (Koshien stadium) is located, until high school. He played baseball from primary school to university. He has identical twin daughters and loves spending time with his family.
Karl Bauer
Business Development, Nordics
Karl joined Algebris in 2017 to help expand our Scandinavian investor base.
He previously worked for Morgan Stanley as an analyst, supporting the Morgan Stanley UCITS funds platform FundLogic in London. Prior to that he worked for Cass Business School as a research assistant and Carle & Co Ltd as an analyst.
Karl holds a BSc in Business Management from Cass Business School in London. In his free time Karl enjoys playing tennis, basketball and cooking.
Matteo Zancan
Business Development, Italy
Matteo joined Algebris in 2024 to support our sales team and expand the local client base in Italy.
He previously worked 2 years at Credit Suisse AM Milan in the sales team, where he was covering fund buyers as well as retail networks.
He started his career working with private bankers at SanpaoloInvest in Turin.
Matteo holds a BSc in Business Administration from Università di Torino and a MSc in Economics of Markets and Financial Intermediaries from Università Cattolica di Milano.
He is passionate about golf, he has also participated in swimming and tennis competitions in early age. He has recently become interested in martial arts, especially Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Lorenzo Amato
Business Development, Italy
Lorenzo joined Algebris in 2023 to support our Italian investor base from the Milan office.
Prior to Algebris, he spent 5 years at Russell Investments, where he was a Sales Associate, covering retail, wholesale and institutional clients, with a focus on Long-Only funds and Alternative Strategies.
Previously, he worked 2 years at Amundi Asset Management in Italy and Luxembourg.
Lorenzo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from University of Pavia and a Master’s degree in Markets & Business Strategy from the Catholic University of Milan , where he is also an Assistant Professor in Financial Intermediaries (Private Banking).
In his free time Lorenzo enjoys traveling, skiing and horse jumping competitions. Additionally, he has great passion for agriculture and Agri-Tech sector.
Noemi Ginosa
Business Development, Italy
Noemi joined Algebris in 2022 as a Business Development Associate within the sales team.
Previously, she worked 3 years at Carmignac and 2 years at Allfunds, supporting the development of the Italian distribution network in collaboration with the Country Head and the sales team. She holds a Master’s Degree in Banking and Finance from the Catholic University of Milan.
Noemi loves traveling and cinema and is passionate about swimming, a sport she has practiced competitively for 13 years.
Solveig Babinet
Business Development, France & Benelux
Solveig joined Algebris in 2016 to help expand our French investor base.
Previously Solveig was a Partner & Senior Investment Analyst at Monreith Capital where she co-ran a global financials fund and at Lionstrust as junior PM of an Emerging Markets Financials fund. Prior to this she worked on the sell side with Morgan Stanley in their Equity research team for 10 years. There she covered several countries, contributed to the publication of reports on stocks investment cases and capital market trends and assisted in orchestrating one of the major financial conferences in the industry.
Solveig holds a Master of Business from EM LYON Business School, Lyon. She is half-French half-Dutch with 3 daughters and loves music, good food, sport and travel. She is a native French speaker and also speaks fluent English and basic Dutch.
Yoichi Nakamura
Business Development, Japan
Yoichi joined Algebris in 2018 as Managing Director of our Japanese office. He has been CEO of Algebris Investments K.K. since 2019.
With 20 years in the industry, he has gained valuable experience in product development and sales in the retail business. Prior to Algebris, he spent four years working in sales at Fidelity, covering large Japanese distributors and asset management companies. He previously worked at Legg Mason, SPARX and UBS Global AM.
He holds MSc in International Business and Finance from the University of Reading and is a CMA charter holder. Yoichi enjoys running and swimming. He lives in Tokyo with his wife and son.
Client Relations
Giuseppe Carriere della Giusta
Client Relations, Milan
Giuseppe joined Algebris in 2023 to support the Client Relations Team.
Giuseppe is a recent graduate with an MScs in International Finance from Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics. He also holds a Bachelor in International Economics and Management from Bocconi University.
During his studies, Giuseppe gained experience in Private Equity at DeA Capital and in financial services, through projects on ESG transition and banks regulatory framework at PwC Italy.
Italian national, Giuseppe earned his IB from the British School of Milan and is also fluent in Spanish, as he attended an exchange semester at Universidad Católica del Uruguay in Montevideo. Outside of work he enjoys backpacking, volunteering, and playing football and tennis.
Iliyana Tsankova
Client Relations, London
Iliyana is a Manager in the Client Relations team, having joined Algebris in London in 2016. She works closely with Business Development, coordinating the onboarding of new distributors and new fund launches, while also supporting the existing distribution network and clients globally.
She previously worked for Morgan Stanley as an analyst for the UCITS funds platform FundLogic. Prior to that, Iliyana was at NERA Economic Consulting, where she was part of the Securities and Finance team.
Iliyana is a CFA charter holder and has an MSc in Finance and Economics from the London School of Economics. In addition, she holds a BA (Hons) in Economics and BA in Business Administration from the American University in Bulgaria.
In her free time Iliyana enjoys travelling, yoga and hiking.
Katie Ryan
Client Relations, Dublin
Katie joined Algebris in 2023 to support the Client Relations team.
She is a recent graduate with a MSc in Finance (Investment and Asset Management) from University College Cork.
She also holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from the University of Limerick, where she majored in Economics and Finance and minored in Globalization.
Katie joins us from Alter Domus where she has been working as a Private Debt Analyst.
Outside of work Katie enjoys the outdoors, travelling and experiencing new cultures, as well as playing Camogie.
Lilla Szasz
Client Relations, Luxembourg
Lilla joined Algebris in 2021 to support the Client Relations team.
Prior to joining Algebris, Lilla worked for Caceis Bank in Luxembourg as an Investor Services Officer and beforehand at Blackrock in Budapest as a Client Experience Associate.
She graduated in International Economy and Business at the Corvinus University and holds an Msc in International Management (CEMS) from HEC Paris.
She is fluent in English, French, Hungarian and also speaks some Italian and German. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, ballet, painting and hiking.
Magdalene Lim
Client Relations, Singapore
Magdalene joined Algebris in 2023 to support our business in Asia ex-Japan.
Magdalene brings with her 13 years of significant experience in both institutional and intermediary client servicing.
Prior to Algebris, she worked for Schroders and beforehand she spent 7 years at abrdn as a Client Service Manager where she covered the institutional and intermediary client relationship management for Southeast Asia and Korea.
Previously she was a Sales & Marketing Support Specialist at Natixis AM, focusing on institutional clients for Asia Pacific ex Japan.
She holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) degree from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University.
Outside of work, Magdalene loves travelling (especially road trips), good food and music.
Mariko Nishi
Head of Product Development, Japan
Mariko joined Algebris in 2019 to support and expand our business development in Japan.
She has 14 years of Product Development and Management experience with global asset management companies, and professional operations experience of 10 years at a Japanese trust bank as well as an asset management company.
She previously worked for the Product Development and Implementation team at Schroder. Prior to that, she worked at Fidelity and Russell Investments, and her career started in Mitsui-Sumitomo Trust Bank.
She graduated from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Her hobby used to be riding motorcycles, but now she has three young daughters and changed to swimming, skiing and watching baseball games (she is a big fan of “Hiroshima Toyo Carp “ – her hometown’s professional baseball team) with them.
Niamh Gleeson
Head of Distribution, Ireland
Niamh joined Algebris as the Designated Person for Distribution (Ireland) in 2020. Niamh has over 20 years of experience in Asset Management, working in Ireland and Bermuda with UCITS and AIFs from a range of domiciles and investment strategies.
Most recently, Niamh worked as a senior member of the Outsourcing Control Team with Amundi (Ireland), responsible for oversight and support of international proprietary and third-party services providers to the management company; managing any regulatory, operational and product initiatives impacting those services. Previously, Niamh held positions in Business Development & Investor Relations at Pioneer Investments, BNY Mellon and JP Morgan.
Niamh holds a BA (Hons) Degree in European Studies from University College Cork. Niamh is based in Dublin and in her free time enjoys road biking, hiking and yoga.
Pauric Donnelly
Client Relations, Dublin
Pauric joined Algebris in 2022 to support the Client Relations team.
Prior to joining Algebris, Pauric worked at Citco as part of the Client Integration Relations Team, onboarding and maintaining relationships with large Hedge Funds and Private Equity firms.
Pauric holds a Bachelor of Economics and Finance from Queens University Belfast.
In his free time, Pauric enjoys most sports but in particular Golf and Football. He also has a passion for fitness and holds a certification in Personal Training.
Phuong Nguyen
Client Relations, Germany, Austria & Switzerland
Phuong joined Algebris as Client Relations Senior Associate in November 2023 to support the grow of the client base in Germany, Austria & Switzerland.
Prior to joining Algebris Phuong spent more than 23 years at GAM where he worked five years as an Investment Controller, 15 years as a Portfolio & Business Manager and Client Support Manager. He graduated in business economics from the Swiss Institute for Business Economics.
Besides his mother tongue German (Swiss German), Phuong is fluent in English, and has good knowledge of French and Vietnamese.
Phuong enjoys playing Tennis on a competitive level. He also enjoys reading books, skiing, and traveling.
Sanjhali Agarwal
Client Relations, Dublin
Sanjhali joined Algebris in 2020 to help support the Client Relations team.
Prior to joining Algebris, she worked for BlackRock as an analyst where she was responsible for the production of due diligence questionnaires for institutional clients.
Sanjhali completed her MBA in International Business and B.Tech in Computer Science from Amity University, India.
In her free time, Sanjhali enjoys meditating and spending time with her family.
Shintaro Takada
Client Relations, Japan
Shin (Shintaro) joined Algebris in 2021 to support and expand our business development in Japan.
He previously worked for Fidelity as a DC pension sales and assistant product strategist, covering both WS and Institutional sales businesses.
He holds a Master of Business administration from Hitotsubashi University and is a CMA charter holder.
In his free time, he enjoys playing Shogi (Japanese chess) and running.
Susan Spagnolini
Client Relations, Milan
Susan joined Algebris in 2016 to support our Italian client base from the Milan office.
Susan obtained her MSc in Management and Strategy from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2016. In addition, she holds a BA (Hons) in International Economics, Management and Finance from Bocconi University.
Susan worked as a tutor as part of the LSE Widening Participation program across London high schools, helping underprivileged students develop their quantitative and communication skills. While studying at Bocconi University she was an event manager and treasurer for the Bocconi Student Association Macropolo. She also volunteered for a number of non-profit organisations, mentoring children.
Susan enjoys ballet and has trained at the Royal Academy of Dance in Milan. She also enjoys reading Classical books, traveling and cooking.
Teresa Maiello
Client Relations, Milan
Teresa joined Algebris in 2024, supporting the Client Relations team.
Previously she worked in Quaestio Capital SGR, where she was in charge of Client Service for both retail and institutional clients.
She also gained experience in Fund Distribution and Fund Administration of UCITS funds at Caceis, StateStreet Bank and BNP Paribas Securities Services.
Teresa holds a degree in Economics & Finance from Bocconi University.
Great passionate about travelling, sailing and nature, she volunteers at a dog rescue centre in her spare time.
Marketing and Communication
Andrea Molteni
Marketing, Milan
Andrea joined the Algebris Marketing team in Milan in 2021. He focuses on all graphic and digital marketing tasks providing with fresh ideas and creative contents for all of Algebris’ branding / visual communication needs.
Since 2013, Andrea has worked as Communication Designer for a number of firms. He also worked as a teacher at Scuola Mohole in Milan, where he held movie-design and film-making courses.
He holds an MA in Communication Design from Politecnico in Milan.
Marta Pizzamiglio
Marketing, Milan
Marta joined the Algebris Client Relations team in July 2020 as Junior Marketing Associate, supporting the team in communication and marketing initiatives.
Prior to joining Algebris, Marta worked at Boston Consulting Group in their Milan Marketing team, overseeing the organization of content events and the full deployment of the CRM database.
She holds a Master’s in International Business from the University of Greenwich and a Bachelor’s in Foreign Languages and International Relations from Università Cattolica in Milan.
In her free time, she enjoys sports and yoga, and she is also very passionate about travelling and photography.
Simonetta Tumino
Marketing, Milan
Simonetta joined Algebris in 2022 as an intern and is now Junior Marketing Associate, supporting the team in communication and marketing initiatives.
She holds a Master’s degree in Markets and Business Strategies and a Bachelor’s in Economics and Management from Catholic University of Milan.
Simonetta loves travelling and is passionate about dancing, swimming and pilates.