Moez Kassam | |
---|---|
Born | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | August 27, 1980
Alma mater | University of Western Ontario (B.A.), London Business School (MBA) |
Occupation | Hedge fund manager |
Moez Kassam (born August 27, 1980, in 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.
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]
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]
Moez married Marissa Siegal in 2016,[9] and together they collectively founded the "Moez & Marissa Kassam Foundation" in 2016 as well.
He sits on the board of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and Toronto Public Library Foundation.[10] In June 2020, Kassam joined the board of directors for the Canadian Olympic Committee foundation.[10][11] Kassam helped start the Great to Gold, a data-driven fundraising initiative to support Canadian athletes at the Paris Olympics. The initiative helped fund athletes that won gold in several sports and helped deliver 10 of Canada’s 27 medals.[12]
He is also the Fundraising Lead for the Ryerson University Lifeline Syria Challenge (RULSC).[10][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] They have also contributed $300,000 to the APPLE Schools Health initiative, which supports healthy eating for children in disadvantaged communities.[16]
Kassam has donated to the University of Toronto,[17] which allowed him to invite Abdulaziz Sachedina to join Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto as a distinguished visiting professor of Islamic Studies.[18] 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.[19]
In 2023, Moez was named in Toronto Life’s “50 Most Influential Torontonians” for his philanthropic efforts.[20]