Understand the source of return.
Begin with an economic or behavioral mechanism. Use data to test the idea, and require a clear explanation of why it should persist.
INVESTOR · BUILDER · MENTOR
Understanding markets.
Building what lasts.
I’m Marc Malek. I turn quantitative research into investment capabilities—and build the teams and institutions that sustain them.
NEW YORK · A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVESCROLL TO EXPLORE
30+Years in institutional investing
$1.3BPeak assets at Conquest
200+Proprietary quantitative models
3Financial centers in the UBS franchise
01 / ABOUT
Research as a foundation.
Judgment as a discipline.
A career connecting ideas,
people, and capital.
My work sits at the intersection of systematic investing, risk, and the leadership of investment businesses.
I founded Conquest Capital Group in 1999 and led it through September 2025, building the firm from $3 million in assets to approximately $1.3 billion at its peak. Before Conquest, I built UBS’s global exotic currency derivatives franchise across New York, London, and Tokyo, and subsequently led proprietary trading in Europe and the Americas.
I earned a BA in mathematics from Reed College and a BS in engineering and applied science from Caltech through a five-year dual-degree program, graduating from Caltech with Highest Honors. During my time at Reed, I spent a term at New College, Oxford, studying international relations and macroeconomics. Early research in artificial intelligence, neural networks, and optimization shaped a question that has stayed with me: how do we turn analytical insight into better decisions?
At Caltech, I pursued my interest in artificial intelligence and neural networks with Fred Thompson as my academic advisor. That foundation connects my work as an investor with my work as a founder, research leader, and mentor.
Explore my career
- October 2025–
September 2026Mariner Investment Group
Portfolio Manager · Quantitative research, portfolio construction, risk management, and execution oversight.
- 1999–
September 2025Conquest Capital Group
Founder & Chief Investment Officer · Built an investment business spanning research, portfolio management, product development, and institutional relationships.
- Late 1994–
January 1999UBS
Global Head, Exotic Foreign Exchange Derivatives; Head of Proprietary Trading, Europe & Americas.
- 1993–1994
KB Currency Advisors
Portfolio Manager / Quantitative Trader · Worked with Andy Krieger on currency-options strategy and developed my first systematic trading portfolio, seeded with $50 million.
- 1992–1993
Salomon Brothers
Bond Portfolio Analysis group · Began my career in quantitative finance before pursuing my interest in trading.
02 / INVESTMENT APPROACH
Clarity of thinking.
Discipline in execution.
Start with why.
Keep asking what changed.
A model should have an understandable reason to work. A portfolio should reflect the environment in which it operates. And research should continue long after a strategy goes live.
Allocate for the environment.
Examine how return sources behave as risk appetite, liquidity, and volatility change. Make portfolio construction a research discipline in its own right.
Investigate the unexpected.
Monitor live behavior against historical experience and systematic references. Clusters of unusual observations prompt investigation before intervention.
Build independent judgment.
Develop researchers who can frame original questions, explain their reasoning, and challenge assumptions. Shared standards should welcome different perspectives.
03 / PERSPECTIVES
Ideas from a life
in research and investing.
Thinking in practice.
SELECTED ESSAYSORIGINAL RESEARCH · 8 PAPERS & PRESENTATIONS
The Conquest research library
Alternative beta, managed futures, replication, and the behavior of risk.
The five-minute test
Why a clear investment rationale matters as much as a compelling backtest.
Read essayRisk has an environment
How a framework for changing conditions can expand a portfolio’s opportunity set.
Read essayBeyond the founder
Building an investment organization with the capacity to keep developing.
Read essay04 / BEYOND MARKETS
Opportunity grows
when people connect.
A commitment to
people and possibility.
Born in Lebanon and educated in the United States, I bring an international perspective to my work and a lasting commitment to the communities that shaped me.
I have been actively involved in organizations such as the International Catholic Legislators Network (ICLN) and in efforts to protect persecuted Christians in the Middle East. I advocate for the rights and dignity of religious minorities across the Levant, and for a free and independent Lebanon. Education, mentorship, and economic opportunity are central to that commitment. They also reflect a conviction that runs through my investment career: strong institutions help people achieve more together.
LIFE
I co-founded LIFE and served as chairman of global LIFE, helping expand its international network and its work in education and mentorship. I chaired LIFE Generation USA from 2014 to 2018 and continue to serve on LIFE’s Advisory Board. In 2016, I established its U.S. Honorary Board to strengthen connections with Lebanese American leaders in public service. LIFE’s 2018 annual review records a network of more than 1,000 finance professionals across 11 chapters.
Discover LIFE Watch LIFE films 2018 annual reviewSEAL
I co-founded SEAL and continue to serve on its board, supporting economic opportunity in Lebanon through projects that strengthen communities and their ability to sustain themselves.
Discover SEALIn Defense of Christians
My service on the board of In Defense of Christians began in 2016, reflecting my commitment to protecting persecuted Christian communities and religious minorities in the Middle East.
Discover IDCICLN
Since first becoming involved in 2014, I have been active in the International Catholic Legislators Network. This engagement forms part of my broader commitment to religious freedom, human dignity, and the protection of persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
Discover ICLN05 / IN CONVERSATION
Ideas shared.
Perspectives exchanged.
Markets, leadership,
and what comes next.
Explore interviews on systematic investing and risk, alongside reporting on my work in finance and the Lebanese diaspora.
LET’S CONNECT
Good conversations
begin with an idea.
For investment leadership, research, speaking, or a thoughtful exchange of perspectives.
Connect on LinkedIn