Wurts & Associates recently announced the addition of three professionals: Kraig McCoy, CFA, Chief Financial Officer; Ian Toner, CFA, Director of Strategic Research; and Shaharyar Asaf, CFA, Senior Analyst. These new positions further strengthen internal processes and research capabilities as Wurts & Associates continues to achieve substantial growth in client relationships.
Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey MacLean explained, “These new members of the team further bolster our investment operations and research capabilities, and we are excited for the value their unique experiences will bring to our team, and more importantly, our clients.”
Kraig McCoy, CFA will begin serving as Chief Financial Officer of Wurts & Associates in mid-November. Mr. McCoy will be responsible for planning, implementing, managing and controlling all financial-related activities of the firm. He will also manage the financial and investment management operations of the discretionary team. He will serve on the firm’s Management Committee and help execute all strategic and tactical issues as they relate to both non-discretionary and discretionary services. Previously, Mr. McCoy held the role of Controller at a private investment firm in Kirkland, Washington, where he was responsible for managing back and middle office functions for the investment team. Prior experience includes positions at Silver Creek Capital Management, LLC, Tahoma Capital, LLC, Quellos Group, LLC, and Arthur Andersen LLP.
Mr. McCoy stated, “The people at Wurts take a truly forward-thinking approach to investment research and client service, and the firm’s philosophy regarding investment and operational risk is particularly important. I look forward to being a part of a team that is unafraid to innovate.”
Ian Toner, CFA joined as Director of Strategic Research on November 1st. In this newly created role, Mr. Toner will be responsible for strategically managing the firm’s growing research initiatives, including manager research, capital markets, and other research designed to solve practical problems for Wurts & Associates’ clients. Mr. Toner will also serve on the firm’s Research Advisory Committee. Previously, Mr. Toner held the role of Director, Research & Communications for Russell Investments, where he has written and spoken prolifically on currency and the importance of understanding and managing currency risk in portfolios. Prior to Russell, he served in positions at UBS Bank, Schroder Salomon Smith Barney, and InterSec Research.
Mr. Toner stated, “The challenges investors face today are very real, and dealing with them means rethinking some of the assumptions that we’ve made as an industry over the last 40 years. In particular, it means a relentless focus on risk management and on activities where investors can have a real impact on the outcomes they need. The team at Wurts is hugely impressive. The chance to join them as they build real client solutions to address those challenges is a fabulous opportunity.”
Shaharyar Asaf, CFA began serving as Senior Analyst in October. He is involved in the analysis and portfolio management activities for the discretionary (“OCIO”) relationships. Mr. Asaf’s quantitative skills will be integral in further growing the firm’s discretionary solutions and meeting client relationship growth in this area. Previously, Mr. Asaf served at SAMBA Capital in Saudi Arabia as quantitative portfolio manager. He has also held roles with State Street Global Advisors, Barclays Global Investors Canada, and Investors Bank and Trust Canada.
About Wurts & Associates
Wurts & Associates has been providing institutional clients with thoughtful and independent investment advice for over 27 years. Today we advise on over $54 Billion in traditional non-discretionary client assets and nearly $20 Billion in discretionary (“OCIO”) portfolio management. Our client relationships include educational and charitable organizations, corporate and public retirement funds, health care and financial institutions, and multi-employer trusts. Services provided include traditional non-discretionary consulting, risk analytics and outsourced chief investment officer through affiliate KEI Investments. Our firm distinguishes itself through a highly qualified, multi-disciplined group that regularly publishes internally developed research covering capital markets, private equity, real estate, hedge funds, and active management that helps educate and inform our clients with our firm’s best ideas. Wurts & Associates is completely independent and does not belong to a larger organization that provides other services. Being 100% employee-owned is an important differentiator of ours, as it directly aligns our efforts with client goals and ensures the advice we give them is based on research, not competing interests.