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Moez Kassam

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Moez Kassam
Born (1980-08-27) August 27, 1980 (age 44)
Alma materUniversity of Western Ontario (B.A.), London Business School (MBA)
OccupationHedge fund manager

Moez Kassam (born August 27, 1980 Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian alternative asset manager. He is a founder and principal of Anson Funds, which manages a collection of long-short equity funds - most notably, Anson Investments Master Fund LP (AIMF).[1] Anson Group was founded in 2007.[2] Kassam also received the 2018 Canada's 40 under 40 award.[3] He is a member of the board of directors for the Canadian Olympic Committee foundation.

Education

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Kassam started school at Bayview Glen School in 1994. His interest in financial markets began after his class placed in the top three schools in the TD Stock Portfolio Challenge (within Ontario).[4] He subsequently attended the University of Western Ontario, graduating in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts.[5] In 2010, Kassam received an MBA in finance from the London Business School, a constituent college of the University of London.[5]

Career

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In 2007, Kassam founded Anson Funds, an alternative asset management company that focuses on three core strategies: classic shorts, value longs and opportunistic investments.[1][2] Anson Group now operates several investment funds including Anson Investments Master Fund (AIMF). He is the primary Portfolio Manager of Anson Investments Management Fund (AIMF), the flagship fund out of a collection of funds managed by Anson Funds. Anson and Kassam has been featured in several publications, such as Barron’s, Bloomberg and Forbes for their distinctive investment strategy.[6][7] In 2021, Anson Funds posted returns of 45.5% on the back of the meme stock frenzy [8]

In March 2022, Bloomberg reported that several entities including Anson Funds allegedly had been the subject of an inquiry by the Department of Justice and received direct subpoenaes examining tactics used by Anson in short selling.[9]. On 11 June 2024, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission announced settled civil charges involving Anson Funds Management, LP and Anson Advisors, Inc., in which the 2 firms agreed to a cease-and-desist order and to pay fines totalling US$2.25m.

Personal life

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Moez married Marissa Siegal in 2016,[10] and together they collectively founded the "Moez & Marissa Kassam Foundation" in 2016 as well.

Philanthropy

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He sits on the board of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and Toronto Public Library Foundation.[11] In June 2020, Kassam joined the board of directors for the Canadian Olympic Committee foundation.[11][12] He is also the Fundraising Lead for the Ryerson University Lifeline Syria Challenge (RULSC).[11][non-primary source needed] In March 2021, Moez contributed $1M to Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto.[13][14] In May 2022, Moez and Marissa Kassam also donated to the Sinai Health Foundation to assist in medical research in neonatal care.[15]

Kassam has donated to the University of Toronto,[16] which allowed him to invite Abdulaziz Sachedina to join Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto as a distinguished visiting professor of Islamic Studies.[17] In 2023, the Moez & Marissa Foundation supported the Toronto Foundation for Student Success with the launch of the “‘School Opportunity Fund”’ which provides financial support  to schools that need assistance with obtaining resources for their students.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b Shari, Michael. "Anson Investments: Bucking the Crowd".
  2. ^ a b "Anson Founded". Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  3. ^ "Canada's Top 40 Under 40® 2018 Honourees Announced" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Moez Kassam, BVG '99". Bayview Glen School. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Echelon Capital Corporation Announces Proposed Qualifying Transaction". Market Wired. Nasdaq. March 5, 2010. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  6. ^ "The Hedge Fund Manager Who Broke Even When Most Other Funds Got Killed". www.valuewalk.com. February 7, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  7. ^ Miller, Ryan (April 14, 2022). "CEO Spotlight: Anson Funds' Moez Kassam – Hedge Fund Manager and Philanthropist". CEOWORLD magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  8. ^ "Anson Funds surged in 2021 on meme-stock frenzy". Bloomberg. BNN Bloomberg. January 7, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  9. ^ "Hedge Fund with 45% Returns Drawn into DOJ Probe of Short Sales". Bloomberg. March 25, 2022.
  10. ^ "Real Weddings 2016: Inside a three-day, two-venue, multicultural nuptial extravaganza". Toronto Life. May 20, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c "Moez Kassam". Ryerson University. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  12. ^ "Moez Kassam". Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website. May 10, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  13. ^ "From One Couple to an Entire Community". CNW Group. March 4, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  14. ^ Shackleton, Al (March 6, 2021). "Moez and Marissa Kassam make $1 million donation to Michael Garron Hospital". Beach Metro Community News. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  15. ^ "Supporting Diversity and Inclusion with Global Impact - Moez Kassam and Marissa Kassam". secure.supportsinai.ca. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  16. ^ "Boundless: The Campaign for the University of Toronto (Donor Listing)". University of Toronto. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  17. ^ "Scholar Abdulaziz Sachedina To Join Emmanuel College". MuslimObserver. May 20, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  18. ^ Anderson, Abel (February 16, 2023). "NetNewsLedger - Anson Funds' Moez Kassam Invests in the Promise of People". Retrieved August 4, 2023.
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