Frontier adds two new hires

Frontier has made two new senior hires rounding out more than a dozen additions to the asset consultant's team over the last quarter.

First up, is Michiel Swaak, who has been hired as a senior consultant working in the alternatives and derivatives research team, headed by Scott Pappas.

Swaak brings extensive experience in quantitative finance, hedge funds, and investment management.

He joins Frontier from Macquarie University where he lectured for five years on quantitative equity portfolio management and hedge funds.

Previously, he was director of quantitative solutions at Deloitte, a division director of quantitative hedge funds at Macquarie Group, and a multi-asset investment manager at SJS Family Office.

Before that, Swaak worked at QIC running the qualitative hedge fund team.

Frontier expects his addition to the firm will help provide increasingly sophisticated advice across derivatives and alternatives.

The second appointment is Priya Patel will also work as a senior consultant working in Frontier's responsible investment group, headed by Joey Alcock.

Patel joins Frontier from Victorian Funds Management Corporation having most recently held the role of investment stewardship manager.

Earlier, she has served as a sustainability manager for Westpac and Australia Post.

Her addition to the responsible investment group follows the addition of former PRI chief executive Fiona Reynolds who will join the Frontier board in February.

The firm has been hiring strongly in recent months, adding seven new associates, a quantitative researcher, and three new members to its dedicated technology team - now fourteen strong.

In addition, Frontier has established a university finance PhD intern program, with the first two interns joining in January, to boost the quantitative capability of Frontier's capital markets and asset allocation research.

Frontier chief executive Andrew Polson said the hiring program is designed to support client growth and develop key areas of the firm's approach.

"We are very pleased to have added a record number of clients, from a range of sectors, in recent months," he added.

"Our recruitment efforts will help us add capability and capacity for further growth and help us maintain a healthy consultant to client ratio.

"We are currently looking to fill a range of additional roles, including very senior client consulting and specialist research roles."

Polson stated he expects to announce more appointments in the coming weeks.