André Malan

André is the Group Chairman and founder of Fairtree. He is also an Equity Portfolio Manager in the Investment team.

He began his career in fund management in 1997 as a bank analyst at Barnard Jacobs and Mellet, where he earned one of the highest ratings for a bank analyst that year. In 1998, he transitioned into hedge fund management, joining a team that managed one of South Africa’s first market-neutral hedge funds. In November 2003, André launched the Fairtree Market Neutral Equity Fund. In 2005, he successfully negotiated a buyout of the management company of the fund, leading to the establishment of Fairtree as an independent fund management company in 2006. André served as the CEO of Fairtree from its inception until 2013, when he stepped into his current role as Group Chairman.

Throughout his career, he has played a pivotal role in shaping Fairtree’s long-term strategy and has remained deeply involved in the leadership of the business. He also chairs the Fairtree Foundation Board, reflecting his commitment to social impact and alleviating the plight of the vulnerable. André was actively managing the Fairtree Market Neutral Hedge Fund until 2022. In 2019, he played a key role in launching and managing the Fairtree Global Equity Fund and Fairtree Global Emerging Markets Fund. He has since handed the fund management of these funds over to the team he helped build.

Over his career, André has always enjoyed teaching and empowering others to help them pursue their calling in the financial services industry. He is currently involved in developing and training a new generation of investment professionals while remaining actively involved in managing local and global hedge fund strategies. André holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Law and a Master of Business Administration.