Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management names new CIO and Co-Head of Equities
25 AUG, 2026
By Joanna Piwko from RankiaPro Europe
Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management has announced two senior appointments within its investment teams: Alain Krief has been promoted to Global Chief Investment Officer (CIO), while Charles Lilford joins the firm as co-head of equities.
Alain Krief takes up the role of Global CIO effective 24 August, based in Paris and reporting to Christophe Caspar, Global CEO of Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management. He will also join the firm's executive committee.
Krief brings more than 30 years of experience in fixed income and credit markets. He was appointed Global Head of Fixed Income at Edmond de Rothschild AM in 2019, a role in which he led a team of 15 professionals overseeing €12 billion in assets. Between 2012 and 2019 he held a similar position at Oddo BHF Asset Management, and previously served as Global Head of Credit at BNP Paribas Asset Management (Fischer Francis Trees & Watts). He has also held senior roles in European high-yield corporate debt at Crédit Agricole Asset Management (Amundi) and Crédit Lyonnais Asset Management. Krief graduated in 1989 from the École Nationale Supérieure d'Ingénieurs de Caen (ENSI Caen) and holds a DEA in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Caen.
Edmond de Rothschild AM's liquid asset investment team comprises 82 professionals specialising in fixed income (credit and sovereign debt), listed equities, and multi-asset and overlay strategies, managing total assets in excess of €60 billion across funds and mandates.
Separately, the firm has appointed Charles Lilford as co-head of equities and senior portfolio manager for its Big Data strategy, alongside Xiadong Bao. Effective 28 September, Lilford will be based in Paris and report to Alain Krief.
With more than 20 years of experience in asset management and capital markets, Lilford specialises in identifying winning companies across sectors including energy and utilities, industrials, and technology. He spent ten years at BlackRock within the Sector & Thematics team, managing the flagship BGF Sustainable Energy Fund and Future of Transport Fund. He has also held roles as an investment manager in private equity and infrastructure at Treïs Partners LLP and as an associate at Dresdner Kleinwort, having started his career as an analyst at Fieldstone Private Capital Group. Lilford holds a degree in Business Science from the University of Cape Town, alongside professional certifications in business administration, energy innovation and emerging technologies, and financial modelling.
Launched in 2015, the Big Data strategy is one of Edmond de Rothschild AM's flagship offerings, with €3.4 billion in assets under management. Classified as Article 8 under the EU's SFDR, the strategy invests in international companies at the centre of the data revolution across all sectors. Lilford and Bao will jointly lead the strategy as co-lead portfolio managers.
Christophe Caspar, CEO of Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management, commented: 'We are delighted to have Alain as our new Chief Investment Officer. His leadership skills and strong track record in investment management make him the natural choice for this role. We are equally pleased to welcome Charles to the firm. His impressive track record in bottom-up stock selection, his recognised expertise in thematic investing, and his high-conviction investment approach will bring great value to our Big Data strategy, further strengthen our equity franchise, and provide significant benefit to our clients.'
