We recently sat down with Andre Laport, Portfolio Manager and Head of Latin America, to talk about his three-decade investment career, his vision for the region and what drew him to the firm.   

Q: Can you walk us through your investment experience?  
A: I’ve spent 31 years investing globally, with a particular focus on emerging markets. At Goldman Sachs, I became the firm’s first Brazilian partner and headed Latin America Equities. More recently, I co-founded and ran Vinland Capital, which grew into one of Brazil’s top hedge funds with $5 billion in AUM. My approach blends a broad, multi-asset view of global markets with on-the-ground knowledge of local economies – an edge that consistently helps me spot opportunities in emerging markets.  

Q: What ultimately drew you to Schonfeld?  
A: The people. Under Ryan Tolkin’s leadership, Schonfeld has built an open, collaborative culture where healthy debate – especially around talent and risk – drives continuous improvement. The firm pairs an entrepreneurial mindset with a strong commitment to recruiting, developing and empowering top professionals, and that combination made it the perfect next step for me.  

Q: What opportunities do you see in Latin American markets right now?   

A: Latin America, especially Brazil, offers two advantages that align perfectly with Schonfeld’s model: deep talent and diverse return streams. By establishing a permanent presence, we can recruit top talent early, develop people locally and grow future firm leaders. Once the right team is in place, we will scale the four verticals where Schonfeld already excels – Systematic, Fundamental Equity, Macro and Tactical – adapting each to local market structure and liquidity.   

Q: Why do you think Schonfeld is well-positioned to succeed in the region? 

Ricky Riboldi, a former partner of mine at Goldman Sachs, understands the region very well, and many others on our team bring equally deep expertise. Knowledge flows both ways: ideas proven in other regions can be tailored for LatAm, and successful LatAm approaches can be exported to the rest of the platform.   

Constant communication between leadership to try to maximize strategies across all regions, that is the essence of Schonfeld.