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London-based alternative investment manager Fasanara Capital has appointed former Man Group executive James Hylands as head of artificial intelligence, reinforcing the firm’s ambition to position itself among the industry’s first AI-native asset managers.
Hylands, who previously led generative AI strategy and delivery for Man Group’s Discretionary business, will establish and lead Fasanara’s newly created AI Lab, overseeing the development of proprietary artificial intelligence systems across investment management, private credit, trading and enterprise operations.
The appointment represents more than a technology hire.
It signals Fasanara’s intention to embed AI throughout its investment platform rather than treating it as a standalone research capability.
“Artificial intelligence is becoming foundational infrastructure for the next generation of asset managers,” founder and chief executive Francesco Filia said in announcing the appointment. “Our competitive advantage has always been rooted in proprietary technology, alternative data and systematic innovation.”
Building an AI-native investment platform
Unlike many investment firms that have focused initially on productivity tools or research assistants, Fasanara says its AI Lab will develop proprietary systems spanning credit underwriting, portfolio optimisation, risk monitoring, market intelligence and operational automation.
The initiative will draw on the firm’s proprietary lending infrastructure and alternative credit datasets built over more than a decade through its technology-enabled private credit platform.
The lab will also evaluate frontier AI models through partnerships with universities, technology firms and leading AI developers, with the aim of integrating new capabilities into Fasanara’s proprietary investment platform.
A wider shift across hedge funds
Fasanara’s move reflects a broader trend as hedge funds increasingly compete on technology rather than investment strategy alone.
Large firms including Man Group, Bridgewater Associates, Citadel, Millennium Management and Marshall Wace have all increased investment in artificial intelligence, data engineering and machine learning as they seek new sources of alpha and operational efficiency.
However, many firms have focused primarily on enhancing existing investment processes.
Fasanara is taking a broader approach, positioning AI as the operating system for the entire business – from investment decisions and lending operations to enterprise productivity and client servicing.
From technology-first to AI-first
The appointment also represents the next stage in Fasanara’s evolution.
Since its launch in 2011, the firm has differentiated itself through technology-enabled private credit, digital assets and proprietary lending infrastructure rather than traditional discretionary investing.
Speaking at AFI’s Private Markets, Wealth & Innovation Summit earlier this year, Filia argued that asset management had lagged behind banking in adopting modern technology and predicted that future investment firms would increasingly be built around data, artificial intelligence and blockchain rather than conventional asset class silos.
The creation of the AI Lab suggests Fasanara is now moving from being a technology-first investment manager to an AI-first one.
Whether other alternative asset managers follow a similar path may become one of the defining competitive questions for the industry over the next decade.