Chris Harmse, CFA
Verified Expert in Finance
Finance Expert
Chris has nine years of experience working for global investment banks and boutique investment firms. As an analyst, he was responsible for primary research, financial modeling, and valuation of companies to support investment recommendations. He was a key member of a 2-person team that built a franchise from zero into a $4 million per annum business. His diverse multi-asset experience helps him filter information and simplify opportunities into valuable insights.
Certification Highlights
Case Studies
Industry Expertise
Other Expertise
Work Experience
Investment Analyst
Excelsia Capital
- Initiated coverage on the South African banking sector, covering companies with a combined market capitalization of over $35 billion.
- Developed and implemented a new relative valuation methodology for the South African real estate investment trust (REIT) sector that is still in use at the firm.
- Assisted in developing an investment idea management and monitoring tool to track each analyst's performance and contribution to the fund's performance.
Hedge Fund Analyst & Partner
Asymmetry Asset Management
- Researched investment themes, searching for asymmetrical risk/return ideas across several sectors and regions. My ideas contributed to the funds 25% return in its first year.
- Built relationships with retail and institutional asset allocators (fund of funds, financial advisors) helping assets under management (AUM) grow 300% in one year.
- Assisted in launching a crypto asset fund on the ICONOMI platform in October 2017 with AUM peaking at $1 million.
Fixed Income Sales
BNP Paribas CIB
- A key member of a 2-person team who built the South African corporate franchise from zero into a $4 million per annum business.
- Established client investment, funding, and hedging needs through client analysis and extensive interaction.
- Identified and executed cross-selling opportunities across the bank's other global markets business lines (equities, credit).
- Structured and executed large client orders (FX & structured derivatives) with BNP Paribas traders in London.
Education
Honours Degree in Investment Management
University of Pretoria - Pretoria, South Africa
Bachelor of Commerce Degree (Cum Laude) in Investment Management
University of Pretoria - Pretoria, South Africa
Certifications
CFA
CFA Institute
Skills
Finance
Valuation, Financial Modeling, Comparable Company Analysis, Fixed-income Derivatives, P&L Forecasting, Equity Research
Industry Expertise
Financial Markets
Data & Analysis Software
Bloomberg
Output Software
Microsoft Excel
Other
Financial Analysis, Trading, Research, Equity, Portfolio Management, Thematic Research, Fixed Income, Reuters Eikon, Cryptocurrency, Investing, Startups, Investment Ideas, Foreign Exchange, Sales, Modeling, Financial Forecasting, Fintech, Analysis, Stock Insights, Financials, Microsoft 365
How to Work with Toptal
Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.
Share your needs
Choose your talent
Start your risk-free talent trial
Top talent is in high demand.
Start hiring