By Anastasia Donde
Hedge fund consulting firm Aksia, founded by Credit Suisse veteran Jim Vos and five other former executives of the Swiss bank, grabbed the spotlight in December 2008 by reminding clients that the firm had recommended that they not invest in Bernard Madoff's feeder funds, given the "extensive list of red flags" its investigation of Madoff had raised. The Madoff report, which was written in mid-2007, sealed Aksia's reputation for thorough due diligence and research, and the firm has since taken off.
Founded in October of 2006, Aksia now employs 43 people and has offices in New York, London and Tokyo. Its clients are based in Europe, North America and Asia; about half are pension funds, while endowments, foundations, government-related funds and insurance companies make up the rest.
In the United States, Aksia advises the Philadelphia Public Employees Retirement System, the New York State Common Retirement Fund, the...