Quest Partners Rebrands to AlphaQuest and Announces Formation of Strategic Advisory Board

January 29, 2025 at 08:00 AM EST

Rebrand Highlights AlphaQuest's Flagship Strategy, Emphasizing Global Market Expertise, Innovative Research and Alpha Generation

Led by Robert Steel, Five-Member Board of Esteemed Industry Executives Brings Significant Investment Management and Operating Experience

Quest Partners LLC, a research-driven alternative asset management firm managing $2.2 billion of assets on behalf of some of the world’s largest and most sophisticated investors, announced that it has rebranded to AlphaQuest to reflect the firm’s alpha-driven approach to investing. Founded in 2001 by Chief Investment Officer Nigol Koulajian, AlphaQuest offers global institutional allocators an expanded investment proposition, which builds upon its original managed futures focus and incorporates equities, global macro and other asset classes to target incremental tail risk arbitrage and portfolio protection strategies.

The rebranding aligns the firm’s name with that of its flagship investment strategy, AlphaQuest Original, that is designed to generate strong absolute returns that exhibit positive skew. Over its history, the firm has continually broadened its proprietary research to measure and capture breakouts and breakdowns across global markets and source hidden convexity within futures and FX, equities, alternative markets, and other well-established systematic investment strategies.

Nigol Koulajian, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of AlphaQuest, said, “The transition to AlphaQuest marks a pivotal milestone in our 25-year history, reflecting our continued investment in and expansion of our research capabilities, technology, and scope. We believe the global financial markets are at an inflection point and that a substantial opportunity exists to generate alpha and provide portfolio protection through tail-risk arbitrage strategies.”

Additionally, AlphaQuest has formed an Advisory Board comprised of high-caliber professionals to provide counsel on a wide range of investment management and operational matters. The Advisory Board is chaired by Robert K. Steel, Partner and Vice Chairman at Perella Weinberg Partners. Mr. Steel’s 40-year career spans leadership roles in finance, government, and academia, notably having spent nearly 30 years at Goldman Sachs, where he was Vice Chairman and a member of its Management Committee.

Other members of AlphaQuest’s Advisory Board include:

Marcy Engel, former Chair of the Board of Sculptor Capital Management, and former Partner, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Eton Park Capital Management, L.P.
Jonathan Hitchon, former Chief Operating Officer of Two Sigma Investments, a global technology-driven hedge fund and quantitative investment firm, and former Chair of the Managed Funds Association (MFA).
Wiet Pot, former co-CEO of IMC, one of the world’s leading market makers, and former co-head of Goldman Sachs’ Equities Division in Europe.
Todd Tibbetts, former Chief Investment Officer of MIO Partners, Inc., the investment management subsidiary of McKinsey & Co.

Mr. Koulajian added, “We are thrilled to convene this highly esteemed group of distinguished investment management industry executives to form AlphaQuest’s Advisory Board. Their diverse expertise and substantial insights will be instrumental as we expand our investment strategies to create value for our investors, enhance our operations and increase capacity as we scale our business.”

Mr. Steel said, “I am honored to chair AlphaQuest’s Advisory Board and to serve along such accomplished industry executives. Together, we look forward to collaborating with Nigol and the brilliant team at AlphaQuest to contribute to its continued success and help shape its strategic direction in the years ahead.”

Over the past 18 months, AlphaQuest has doubled the size of its investment and operational teams, which now comprises over 45 professionals. AlphaQuest will move to a new headquarters at 59^th and Park Avenue in spring 2025.

About AlphaQuest

AlphaQuest is an alternative asset management firm headquartered in New York City, focused on delivering truly uncorrelated investment strategies. Founded in 2001 by Chief Investment Officer Nigol Koulajian, the firm manages assets on behalf of some of the world’s largest and most sophisticated investors.