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Hedge Fund of Funds and Investment Advisory Services
In 2004 Mr. Taj created and managed the Advisory firm to the Winchester Hedge Fund of Funds. The Fund of Funds strategy is intended to enable high net worth individuals to invest their core portfolios in funds with cash or treasury equivalent risk metrics and potentially augment the returns through a combination of stock and commodity index futures. The goal is to enhance the possibility of an expanded return on risk in bull markets and the flexibility to retreat in to cash in bear markets without substantially altering the investor's core portfolio. At the same time the strategy also aims to alleviate downside risk with positions in major commodity indices. www.winchesteradvisors.com
In 2007 Mr. Taj developed a cash management strategy using non-fixed income instruments such equities and options to replicate a short term money market account. This strategy is directed at corporate treasurers and institutional investors to manage their excess cash for 45 to 90 day redemption.
Mr. Taj functions as an independent analyst by evaluating opportunities in the alternative investment area, generating investment models and financial recommendations. The industries range from highly technical (process and contract manufacturing) to health care (biotech and medical technology) to retail (coffee and clothing) to a range of other sectors including information technology, hotels/gaming, and banking.
The clients of Mr. Taj include a wide spectrum of wealth management offices and private equity firms.
International Fashion Business Leadership
From 1991 to 1996, Mr. Taj as [President of Halima Garments] helped to build one of the premier fashion apparel businesses in Pakistan. The business model had as its centerpiece the development of alliances with world-class fashion designers, which Mr. Taj implemented aggressively, leading the company to become an important source manufacturer for Polo Ralph Lauren (PRL).
Mr. Taj also initiated the development of the quality circles concept in Pakistan manufacturing, including the first women’s sewing line (note that previously, women had been barred from such positions). The business led to the growth of a billion dollar clothing industry in high-end apparel.Mr. Taj’s leadership made Halima Garments the subject of global entrepreneurship case studies – entitled “ABC Garments” and “Quality Circles” - used at universities such as the Harvard Business School, LUMS (Pakistan), INSEAD (France) and McGill (Canada).
Following a major government change in Pakistan, Mr. Taj came to the United States in 1997 with demonstrated business accomplishments as well as advance business education, in search of new challenges in investment research.
Formal Education
MBA 1991 (Finance emphasis), earned With Distinction
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) |
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Mr. Taj had been recruited into an invitation-only MBA program created in collaboration with the World Bank, Harvard Business School and McGill University, with the support of the business community in Pakistan. To offset significant “brain drain” issues, Pakistani students with recognized high potential such as Mr. Taj were invited from universities in the USA and Europe to return home and to participate. |
University of Texas at Austin, School of Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, 1988-1989 Foreign Scholarship Student – program super ceded by MBA invitation enrollment.
University of Punjab
BSC in Pure Mathematics and Statistical Modeling, 1988, preceded by British School in the Netherlands (Holland); as a consequence of his education and global experience, Mr. Taj speaks several European and South Asian languages, together with fluency in English.
Born in Pakistan, Mr. Taj became a U.S. citizen in 2002
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