Loic Choquet (Aztec Group): Guiding Clients Through a Transformational Journey
As alternative investments become more prominent, the companies working within the industry are experiencing substantial growth. We talked with Loic Choquet, Head of Luxembourg for alternatives fund administrator, the Aztec Group, about the opportunities and challenges ahead.
Can you describe your company in a few words?
We are a leading provider of fund, corporate, and investor services to alternatives fund managers around the world. Best known for our client centric, high touch high tech approach, we service clients across the private asset classes, including private equity, real estate, infrastructure and private credit. Our business was founded in Jersey in 2001 and has grown substantially since. We established a presence in Luxembourg in 2007, and now have 650 employees here, a hugely international crowd drawn from more than 70 different nationalities. As a company we now employ around 2,200 people globally, administering more than €750 billion worth of assets across 450 funds.
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How are your clients’ needs evolving?
Our clients’ needs are changing, and we are here to support them. Managers are passing through a real transformational journey at this moment in time, and their needs are constantly evolving. There are a number of contributing factors to this. Firstly, the so-called retailisation of the alternatives market: consider the fact that more than $84 trillion worth of wealth will change hands over the next 25 years. Alternatives fund managers are therefore looking at ways to attract this new capital to the market. Technology is a pretty self-explanatory trend if your firm does not adapt, you will fall behind, so firms need to keep up with technological advancements. Finally, keeping abreast of regulatory change is crucial too. Part of my remit as Aztec’s Group Head of Centres of Excellence is to ensure we remain focused on the regulatory changes occurring in our different jurisdictions, ensuring our clients’ services remain compliant at all times and in line with regulatory updates and new legislation.
“Our clients’ needs are changing, and we are here to support them.”
What risks and opportunities do you identify?
There are a number of opportunities for alternatives fund managers to navigate right now. The first being retailisation, and how managers attract and manage these new retail investor types. The second is around cross-border growth, with managers expanding their offerings into new markets and geographies. The third is technology and AI, where the risk for firms is standing still, because companies who don’t embrace and enhance their tech stack and AI usage will quickly fall behind. Additionally, liquidity pressures are intensifying, but we do not see that as an obstacle so much as a trend to work with. All these trends are opportunities to innovate and grow, and that’s exactly what we work with our clients to do, to evolve their operating model as their business grows.
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FACTS&FIGURES
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Birthday: 09th of December (1978)
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Place of birth: Amiens (France)
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Nationality: French
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Children: 3 (Louis-Victor, Charlotte and Eleonore)
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Languages: French, English and German
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Hobbies: Cooking, Reading esp. Biographies (physical books), Sports (ski, golf when I can)
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MY FAVOURITE
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Cities: Luxembourg (of course!), New York, London, Vancouver and Singapore
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Restaurants: La Mirabelle, Ma langue sourit, Oggi et Domani
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Places : Museo della Reina Sofia in Madrid, Conrad Café in Luxembourg,
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Books : “Shoe Dog” from Phil Knight, “Onwards” from Howard Schultz, “When breath becomes air” from Paul Kalanithi
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Music: Jazz (Jon Baptiste) and classic, BUT Lady Gaga and Dua Lipa are also a must for sure
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Artists: Jenny Holzer, Steve McCurry (famous for Afgan Girl
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POSITION :
Head of Luxembourg,
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OTHERS :
Group Head of Centres of Excellence and Internal Control
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