HANetf makes two senior hires as demand grows for white label ETFs

• General Counsel Samir Patel and Director of Product Management Ignatius Faissal join following recent seed funding round
• The new hires add nearly 40 years’ combined experience in the development and management of investment funds

HANetf, Europe’s first independent white label ETF platform founded by Hector McNeil and Nik Bienkowski, has appointed Samir Patel as General Counsel and Ignatius Faissal as Director of Product Management.
Patel brings more than 20 years’ legal and compliance experience in the investment fund sector, most recently at AllianceBernstein. Prior to that, he worked for State Street Global Advisers, Fidelity Investments, Goldman Sachs, Janus Capital and AXA Investment Managers. Patel will support HANetf’s continued development and growth, providing product, legal and regulatory advice to HANetf and its clients.
Faissal, who worked with McNeil and Bienkowski at ETF issuer WisdomTree following the merger with the duo’s second venture Boost ETP, has more than 15 years’ financial product development experience. He began his career at Man Group, before moving to Credit Suisse Asset Management and later Aviva Investors. He will report to Bienkowski, leveraging his experience in building and developing UCITS ETF platforms.
Nik Bienkowski, co-CEO at HANetf said: “The hires of Faissal and Patel, who have nearly 40 years’ combined experience in the development and management of investment funds, are extremely timely with the business fielding increasing enquiries from potential clients recognising they need an ETF solution. In total, HANetf’s management team now has 100 years’ of investment fund experience, across every product type and asset class.”
Samir Patel said: “Having worked in asset management for the past 20 years, I have been watching the ETF space with mounting interest as ETFs have grown their influence among passive funds and just as active funds are becoming a huge growth area for ETFs. I share Nik and Hector’s belief that most asset managers need an ETF strategy, and I am excited to join a business ideally placed to facilitate their entry into a market enjoying exponential growth.”