Vontobel announces leadership transition at its Quality Growth Boutique

Matthew Benkendorf will step down from his role as CIO and Head of the Quality Growth Boutique, effective July 1, 2025, due to health reasons. Igor Krutov and David Souccar have been named as his successors.

Matthew Benkendorf has been with Vontobel for over 25 years and, as a co-architect of the Quality Growth investment philosophy, has been instrumental in leading the boutique’s trusted approach.

Having cultivated a team-oriented culture, supported by deep talent and longstanding experience, Matthew is handing over his responsibilities to Igor Krutov as Boutique Head and David Souccar as CIO. Igor and David have worked alongside Matt for over 20 years and are committed to continue building the Quality Growth business and delivering long-term value to clients.

Igor Krutov joined Vontobel in April of 2002. He is currently Director of Research and is also responsible for risk oversight. Prior to joining Vontobel, Igor spent seven years at Sanford C. Bernstein, including four years on the number 1 Institutional Investor-rated US Equity Strategy team. Igor holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and an MBA in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

David Souccar joined Vontobel in April 2007. He is managing the International Equity strategy and, as a research analyst, focuses on the energy, industrials, real estate and utilities sectors. Prior to joining Vontobel, he was a Senior Investment Analyst at Federated Investors and prior to that he was a sell-side analyst at Morgan Stanley. He began his financial career in 1996 at McKinsey & Co. David received a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Management from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Escola de Engenharia Mauá in Brazil  

Vontobel
A global investment house with Swiss roots, we offer investment and advisory solutions to private and institutional clients. Our head office is in Zurich and we are represented in 28 locations worldwide. The shares of Vontobel Holding AG are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and are majority-owned by the founding family. The family's close ties to the company guarantee entrepreneurial independence, and the resulting freedom is also an obligation to fulfill our responsibility to society. As of March 31, 2025, Vontobel held CHF 235.1 billion of assets under management. With our investment-led approach that focuses exclusively on the buy-side of financial markets, we think and act purely from the client’s perspective – as an investor for investors.

This includes keeping our finger on the pulse to provide our investors with the best solutions - something we have been committed to for over 100 years. We harness the power of technology to multiply our investment expertise across platforms and ecosystems and deliver high-quality, personalized client experiences. Because for us, successful investing starts with taking personal responsibility. This means that we want to empower our employees so that they can realize their potential, act independently and open up new perspectives. We constantly question what we have achieved, because we strive to exceed our customers' expectations.

 

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