Gladius Global Advisors, a start-up marketer of alternative investment funds based in New York City, announces Manny Abin as its CEO. A diversified global asset management company founded in June 2024, Gladius quickly displayed its ability to excel in alternative capital markets through strategic partnerships with specialty managers. With Abin, who previously served as head of global institutional sales for alternative investment management at a renowned investment advisory and market research firm, on board, the company promises to continue delivering consistent, risk-controlled results while sharing exciting hopes for an expansion.
Its multi-boutique model offers a unified, end-to-end platform for maximizing alpha, reducing volatility and tail risk, mitigating interest rate impacts, and boosting portfolio yields, among others. On a mission to deliver excellence in alternative capital markets worldwide, Gladius combines sales and trading with asset management. This unique blueprint serves institutional managers across different investment sectors, helping them build a 14-channel distribution business for growing portfolios.
While, traditionally, distribution is a side of asset management, Gladius transformed it into its own entity. This decision was ignited by the undeniable rise of distribution awareness, with 71% of asset managers citing it as the priority. The company addresses this shift with geographically carved-out sales teams, who work with asset managers from East to Midwest to West Coast divisions to sell the breadth of their investment capabilities.
The company infuses asset management with human communication skills through face-to-face interactions, making it more cost-effective for managers by incorporating cutting-edge technology. From the salesforce to distribution platforms and investment strategies, Gladius acts as an extension of asset managers, helping them build a streamlined business structure. With expertise in alternatives structured into four key pillars – Institutional UCITS, Hedge Funds, Private Equity and Credit, and Structured Derivatives – it provides innovative and tailored solutions designed to drive results.
Headquartered in New York City, Gladius hopes to open an office in Miami in the near future. Beyond the US, its eyes are set on the UK and South American markets. Currently in the process of onboarding South American clients, this expansion is driven by the unquestionable opportunities within the continent. “Many alternative investment vehicles haven’t been developed in and customized to Latin America yet,” Abin adds. “But the potential for growth is immense.”
Meanwhile, alternative investments in the UK are prominent and growing. However, as Abin observed, the market is less concentrated than the US, with institutional channels comprising many independent investment firms, as well as high net worth individuals and families. Abin says, “These developing middle markets are what excites me the most about expanding into the UK.”
Alongside its ambitious growth plans, Gladius remains dedicated to delivering exceptional quality within the US, with a core focus on bringing this innovative asset management distribution structure to institutional boutique management platforms. With Abin at its helm, the firm’s operations are now informed by more than 15 years of collective institutional asset management experience on both the buyer and seller sides, merged with a genuine passion for bringing asset management potential to life.
For Abin, distribution is more than a means to sales; it’s the very bloodline of asset management. His vision? For this philosophy to propel Gladius into a premier global asset management distribution player. “At the end of the day, without distribution, you can’t grow,” he adds. “By treating it like its own entity, we’re reaching beyond internal structures. We’re helping asset managers access institutional investors across all markets and nations.”
