Quantas Financial Group, an alternative asset management solutions company, was formed by an experienced group of bankers and business leaders to cut their own path on the Caribbean investment landscape.
Dr Adrian Stokes, a well-respected banker who also heads the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica’s (PSOJ) Economic Policy Committee, is a board member of the Development Bank of Jamaica and a former senior vice president and head of insurance and wealth management at Scotia Bank Jamaica, is the CEO and conceptualiser of Quantas.
Other founders are former president and CEO of Scotia Group Jamaica Jacqueline Sharp, who is a director of Coffee Traders Limited and a vice president of the PSOJ; CEO of The CB Group, Matthew Lyn; and Kevin Hendrickson, managing director of Courtleigh Hospitality Group.
Both Stokes and Sharp discovered gaps in the asset management offerings by major banking houses and seized upon the opportunity to fill them.
The credibility of the founders is second to none – they are not dilettantes looking to make a quick buck who are way over their heads.
Stokes explained that Quantas was formed to solve two main problems.
Quantas is an alternative asset management business. We create alternative management solutions for investors, giving them opportunities to truly divest their portfolios. – Dr Adrian Stokes, co-founder of Quantas
“The first we encountered during our time at the bank was a limited opportunity to diversify portfolios. While we have the traditional bonds, cash, equities market, real estate – beyond those traditional offerings, the opportunity to diversify and produce quality risk-adjusted returns was limited.
“Second, it is difficult for businesses seeking flexible capital. Believe it not, the more flexible the capital, it signals a red flag. It is not so much about flexible capital as it is trusted capital.
“We created Quantas to solve these two big problems in the Caribbean. Quantas is an alternative asset management business. We create alternative management solutions for investors, giving them opportunities to truly divest their portfolios.”
This new vehicle is designed to give investors the means to be in touch with capital in what is now an agile environment.
Stokes stressed that Quantas is built on core principles and will be doing business the right way with its watchword being integrity. This is prescient coming the day before it was announced that sprint king Usain Bolt discovered funds missing from his account at a local finance house.
Quantas’s solutions come under three headings:
- Structured products ( In October of last year it launched Quantas Advantage which targets receivables and other contractual cashflows in the Caribbean)
- Real assets
- Strategic opportunities
The company is aiming to also attract medium-sized entities looking for a trusted partner with Quantas bridging gaps and focused on solving problems.
“Investors can look forward to creative solutions we will be bringing to markets,” said Stokes.
