NEW YORK: Goldman Sachs Group Inc’s asset-management division hired Maria Vassalou, who most recently ran her own firm and spent years at Perella Weinberg Partners, to help manage funds at a US$200bil (RM847.7bil) unit.

       Vassalou is the deputy chief investment officer at Goldman’s multi-asset solutions group, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing personnel matters. In 2019, she founded Vassalou Capital Management, which has returned money to investors.

       Goldman is expanding its work with large institutions across asset classes, while Vassalou brings expertise in macro as well as systematic investing. Before spinning out her own macro fund, she oversaw about US$700mil (RM2.97bil) and worked at Perella Weinberg since 2013.

       Earlier in her career, Vassalou was a portfolio manager at SAC Capital Advisors and as the head of quantitative strategies at Soros Fund Management. She worked as an associate professor of finance at Columbia University for more than a decade.

       Vassalou declined to comment. A spokeswomen for Goldman Sachs confirmed her hiring. — Bloomberg