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OLZ & Partners
OLZ & Partners is a Swiss multi-family office founded by University of Bern finance academics.
OLZ & Partners
OLZ & Partners was formed in 2001 when a group of University of Bern finance academics — including founders Claudio Loderer and Pius Zgraggen — transformed their academic research into a commercial multi-family office. The firm remains anchored in the Swiss institutional heritage, serving pension funds alongside wealthy European families from offices in Bern and Zurich. Its partnership structure retains the original academic DNA: associate partner Dr. Patrick Walker leads investment solutions, while CEO Pius Zgraggen runs the firm. OLZ deploys capital through a quantitative, risk-based framework across equity, fixed income, and mixed mandates. Factor-driven strategies form the core, with in-house vehicles including the OLZ Equity World Optimized Fund and the OLZ Equity Switzerland Optimized Fund acting as primary implementation tools. The firm extends beyond public markets into direct real estate — notably Swiss residential and commercial projects and mixed-use assets in Asia — and confirmed allocations to hedge funds. A sustainability overlay integrates ESG screens across all mandates, supported by membership in Swiss Sustainable Finance and UN PRI signatory status. The geographic footprint spans Europe and Asia, with a strategic partnership in Singapore through HP Wealth Management providing on-the-ground capability for Asian clients. Total assets under advisement are estimated at $2.4 billion (Altss estimate), encompassing both institutional and private-client mandates. Beyond asset management, the firm participates in Swiss grant-making networks through membership in SwissFoundations and maintains ties to the Rochester-Bern Executive Programs, reinforcing its academic network. In July 2024, the firm promoted Dr. Patrick Walker to Head of Investment Solutions and Partner, consolidating leadership of the investment function under the core academic team. OLZ structures itself as a partnership-owned asset manager that happens to provide family-office services — the reverse of the typical multi-family-office model where wealth planning leads and investment follows. This architecture means the investment engine runs with institutional-grade process, and clients plug into it rather than receiving bespoke portfolios built ad hoc. The result is a multi-family office that behaves more like a systematic asset manager with concierge delivery.
General information
Firm type
Multi Family Office
Year founded
2001
AUM
$2–3B (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Switzerland
City
Bern
Corporate office
Bern, Switzerland
Additional offices
Zurich
Principals
Pius Zgraggen
Partner and CEO
Dr. Patrick Walker
Head of Investment Solutions and Partner
Philipp Bregy, CIIA
Partner
Roger Scheidegger
Head of Finance & HR
Silvan Galliker
Business Development
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at OLZ & Partners?
Dr. Patrick Walker, as Head of Investment Solutions and Partner, leads the investment function alongside CEO and fellow Partner Pius Zgraggen. The firm traces its investment philosophy to the academic work of founders Claudio Loderer and Pius Zgraggen at the University of Bern, whose research in quantitative finance still shapes the asset-allocation models deployed across client mandates.
How does OLZ & Partners source deal flow, especially in private markets?
OLZ sources real estate and private-market opportunities through its Zurich and Bern networks and an Asian partnership with HP Wealth Management in Singapore. The firm references direct holdings in Swiss residential and commercial projects and Asia-based mixed-use assets, suggesting deal flow moves through on-the-ground developer relationships rather than competitive auctions.
Is OLZ structured as a single-family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
OLZ is a multi-family office structured as a partnership-owned asset manager. It does not operate like a venture firm. Its core is quantitative public-market portfolio management, supplemented by direct real estate and hedge fund allocations. The client base spans affluent European families, Swiss pension funds, and external wealth managers who use OLZ mandates as building blocks.
Does OLZ & Partners participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
OLZ participates in both. Its public-market exposure is delivered primarily through proprietary funds like the OLZ Equity World Optimized Fund, and the firm has confirmed allocations to hedge funds as part of its alternative-investment sleeve. Real estate holdings are executed via direct project investments in Switzerland and Asia.
Which sectors does OLZ & Partners explicitly avoid?
OLZ integrates sustainability screening across all mandates through its UN PRI commitment and Swiss Sustainable Finance membership, which implies exclusions tied to environmental, social, and governance criteria. The firm has not publicly enumerated a hard exclusion list but its quantitative models likely tilt away from low-scoring ESG names based on its stated methodology.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
Unlike a traditional family office, OLZ aggregates capital from multiple affluent European families and Swiss pension funds rather than managing a single fortune. The firm does not publish a singular wealth-origin narrative. Its founding wealth is intellectual: the quantitative asset-management research generated by founders Claudio Loderer and Pius Zgraggen at the University of Bern.
Does OLZ maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?
The firm is connected to the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation through its SwissFoundations membership, a network of Swiss grant-making foundations. OLZ does not manage the foundation's assets directly in a disclosed capacity; the relationship operates at the membership and network level, keeping philanthropy organizationally distinct from the asset-management business.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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