Private markets fund manager invests in Aus office, regional head

Global private markets investment manager, Coller Capital, has set up shop in Australia, opening an office in Melbourne’s CBD and appointing David Hallifax as Head of Australia and New Zealand Private Wealth Distribution.

Leading the new Melbourne office, Hallifax brings over a decade of experience in senior leading asset management roles, most recently as Head of Australia and New Zealand at global private markets platform provider, S64, and previously as Head of Australia Funds at J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Head of Retail Sales for Schroders in Australia.

Hallifax’s appointment is the latest in a string of hires as Coller Capital expands its Private Wealth Secondaries Solutions (PWSS) business, both in Australia – with Melbourne’s office now the region’s “strategic hub” – and around the world. He will report to Boris Maeder, who recently took on the role of Head of International Private Wealth Distribution.

“Dave’s arrival is testament to our commitment of supporting our growing global private client base with a local and hands-on approach. Dave brings excellent experience in private markets and investment management, and we are delighted to welcome him to Coller Capital,” Boris Maeder, Managing Director, Head of International Private Wealth Distribution, said.

“Alongside our growing team, together we will deliver superior secondaries solutions to private wealth investors in Australia and New Zealand, enabling them to access the increased liquidity, portfolio diversification and risk mitigation that secondaries afford.”

The appointment and growth of the PWSS global team comes after the firm received regulatory approval to launch the Coller International Secondaries Private Equity Fund (CollerEquity) as a Luxembourg-domiciled ‘SICAV’ fund. The fund is available to eligible private wealth investors based outside the United States and will aim to provide “combination of absolute and risk-adjusted returns, diversification, and the opportunity for more liquidity than traditional private equity funds”.

“I am excited to join Coller Capital, a pioneer and innovator in the private markets secondaries space. Private wealth investors in Australia and New Zealand increasingly seek to benefit from the enhanced liquidity, risk mitigation, and diversification opportunities that secondaries provide, but there is still much need for asset class education and proper guidance,” David Hallifax, Director, Head of Australia and New Zealand Private Wealth Distribution, said.

“At Coller our team of private wealth secondaries specialists is well positioned to meet this demand by providing solutions to access our investment capabilities, which have been honed over 34 years.”