Scipion Hires Bear Stearns Veteran as COO

Africa market specialist Scipion Capital has appointed former Bear Stearns managing director Chris Jenkins to fill an expanded COO role

Jenkins brings years of experience in finance trading, operational and sales roles to Scipion, most recently as head of sales and marketing for Carrousel Capital where he was responsible for the development and growth of the company through its media and investor relations. Prior to that, Jenkins spent 10 years with Bear Stearns International as managing director of equity finance trading, a $12 billion portfolio by the time Bear Stearns collapsed and was purchased by JP Morgan in 2008.

Jenkins had previously worked at the Industrial Bank of Japan, and spent four years at Merrill Lynch as vice president of CFD & equity swap settlements. He started his career at the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1990.

In his new role, in addition to managing day-to-day operations, Jenkins will be responsible for marketing the firm's flagship four-year-old Commodity Trade Finance fund, which finances deals in soft and mineral commodities and has, to date, made a cumulative net return of over 61%. He will also be responsible for marketing Scipion’s other funds, namely the Scipion Alpha Seeker Fund, and the Scipion Ai40 Index Tracker Fund.

Said Scipion founder and CIO Nicolas Clavel:

“Chris is an outstanding hire for Scipion. As well as having the skill set to take on a traditional COO role, his experience in sales and marketing makes him ideally placed to spearhead our drive for new investors. Our focus up to this point has been concentrated on managing the performance of the CTF fund, and we believe that now is the time to bring its remarkable track record to a much wider audience of investors. Chris will be essential to that process, and with his expertise on board, I believe we can look forward to Scipion growing significantly in the coming months.”

Chris Jenkins commented:

“Scipion represents a highly attractive proposition for investors. 48 consecutive months of positive performance is a staggering achievement in light of the market turbulence of the last three years, so I am certain the fund will prove popular with new investors. We also have a number of projects that we expect to roll out in the coming months, so it’s an exciting time to be joining Scipion. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to work with such experienced individuals as Nicolas and his team, and I relish the challenge of bringing the firm to the next level.”

Institutional Asset Manager