Gilbert de Botton

Gilbert de Botton was a financial pioneer in the 20'th century (died 2000), who is considered as the pioneer of the open architecture model of asset management. [ [http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/pressAndInformationOffice/newsAndEvents/archives/2003/GAM_PR.htm GAM and the London School of Economics and Political Science announce award in honour of Gilbert de Botton - News archive - News and events - Press and Information Office - LSE ] ]

In 1983, Gilbert de Botton founded the Global Asset Management financial firm, a multinational asset management firm that was later owned by UBS AG from 1999 until December 2005, when it was acquired by Julius Baer. [ [http://www.gam.com/2k2/content/view.asp?page=welcome GAM ] ] .

In 2003, GAM and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) have announced the creation of the ‘GAM Gilbert de Botton Award in Finance Research’, annual award given in recognition of outstanding research in finance, in honour of Gilbert de Botton. [ [http://fmg.lse.ac.uk/news/newspage.php?newsid=57 Financial Markets Group ] ]

His son Alain de Botton is a writer and television presenter.

One of the best obituaries published at the time of de Botton's death, can be found from a search using "Nicholas Serota "Obituary: Gilbert de Botton". Independent, The (London)." Words alone, simply cannot fully describe what an extraordinary human being de Botton was, the depth and reach of his intellect, his precision and attention to detail, the respect he was accorded by some of the most demanding and qualified individuals in the world of international finance.. it all added up to a human life which was as understated as it was influential. His life, cut short relatively young for his accomplishments, aged 65, he towered over the people he worked with and who worked for him - yet he was smaller and more quietly spoken than almost all of them. His multi-national make-up equiped him for a global career - early experience in the Arab/Jewish world, a student both at Jerusalem and New York, Spanish and later Swiss nationality - he lived and worked most of his adult life in Western Europe, mainly in Zurich and London. Versed both, written and spoken, in at least six languages - he devoured printed text at an extra-ordinary rate and was equally able to produce it - I know this for a fact having personally worked around his ability to produce two to three hundred emails & responses per day. Had he lived, his services would have been sought out with urgency by world leaders struggling to understand the global upheaval in financial management in the second half of 2008.

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