RisCura, the investment advisors specialising in emerging and frontier markets, today announced the expansion of their UK team with the appointments of Josef Odili as Head of Africa Research, and Conrad Visagie as Quantitative Analyst.

Commenting on the appointments, UK MD Andrew Slater said, “Although there is widespread misconception that investing in frontier markets is too risky, the tide is certainly changing.  We have identified a clear and significant upward trend of UK pension scheme trustees showing a far greater interest in the benefits that investing in such markets could bring to their portfolio.  There is no arguing with the numbers and with Africa having returned around 40% as a whole last year, sophisticated investors can clearly reconcile any misconception on associated risks with the clear potential for uncorrelated return opportunity.”

“This is an extremely exciting time for our organisation and we are keen to maximise on the market interest. We have a clear strategy of hiring experts in our field, as identifying the opportunities in this very specialised market requires unique skills and on-the-ground knowledge. Josef and Conrad are no exception, they will be an asset to us and our clients.”

Josef, as Head of Africa Research, will oversee all of RisCura’s research and development in the sub-Saharan Africa ex South Africa region.  He joins from Stonehills Frontier Investments where he was Managing Partner. He has also held positions at Fortis Investments, Fidelity International and SEI Investments.

Josef commented: “The chance to work within a firm that has a great deal of experience in servicing investments in Africa, which requires additional understanding of the local dynamics, was one that I was keen to take on.  The intellectual capital of managing money in frontier markets is much better today than the early days of emerging markets and the right research approach can bring great benefits to clients. I am looking forward to working with the dynamic RisCura team.”

Conrad has relocated from the RisCura Cape Town office where he was part of the Research and Development, and LDI (liability-driven investment) teams.  His new role will see him take responsibility for the development of various initiatives including technology solutions for client communications and strategy monitoring, and continuing the research and development of RisCura’s analytics supporting investment advice to clients.

Media contacts

For media enquiries in the UK, contact Kate Boyle via email or on +44 (0)7930 442 883. In South Africa, please contact Courtney Ellis via email or on +27 (0)21 673 6999.