Briefcase hires ex-MLC analyst for indexing push

Binaya Dahal

Journalist

11 June 2026

Briefcase has lured former MLC Asset Management senior investment analyst Michael Wang to the team as the fintech seeks to expand its direct indexing capabilities alongside broader AI-driven portfolio tools for wealthy clients.

The firm announced Wang’s appointment as lead portfolio manager on Wednesday, saying he would focus on expanding its investment and product toolkits across automated portfolio construction, systematic tax optimisation and scalable investment solutions for advisers, family offices and institutional investors.

In the role, he will also oversee AI-led research and portfolio analytics, model portfolio governance and risk management, as well as adviser reporting infrastructure aimed at enabling personalised, security-level portfolio construction.

Briefcase founder and chief executive Josh Persky said Wang’s brings a rare combination of portfolio management experience and deep AI and data science capability.

“Briefcase is not building a traditional asset manager. We are building the technology layer that allows advisers to deliver institutional-grade, tax-aware and highly personalised portfolios at scale,” Persky said.

“His (Wang) appointment gives us greater firepower to keep building technology that can construct, monitor and optimise portfolios at the individual security level.”

Wang joins Briefcase with more than 14 years of experience spanning institutional portfolio management, quantitative research, data science and applied artificial intelligence.

At MLC Asset Management, he was part of a multi-asset team managing more than $25 billion and directly managed a $500 million institutional growth portfolio.

Wang said Briefcase’s technology-first model and direct indexing capability made the role a compelling opportunity.

“Direct indexing changes the foundation of portfolio construction. It makes it possible to build portfolios around the individual investor, rather than the average investor in a pooled product,” he said.

“When that is combined with tax-aware implementation, systematic decision-making and AI-enabled tools, the opportunity to improve outcomes for advisers and clients is significant.”