Based in the UK, Cameron Chartouni, of a Lebanese descent, has over 12 years experience in the hedge fund industry. As founder and Chief Investment Officer of Acropolis Capital, Chartouni has been the portfolio manager of the Acropolis Multi-Strategy Fund since its inception. Prior to Acropolis Capital, he spent three years at the Chartouni family offic. Chartouni speaks to Forward Magazine about his story.

You have over a decade of experience in the hedge fund sector. Can you tell us a bit more about it?

When I started in the hedge fund industry 12 years ago, it was still relatively immature and underdeveloped. I have been fortunate enough to gain my experience at a time when the industry has grown considerably and become more institutionalized and competitive.

This has pushed me to constantly improve and better my approach. During my hedge fund career, I have met with hundreds of hedge funds and have built a robust and rigorous methodology to evaluate different hedge funds and strategies with a view to picking only the best for possible investment.

I regard the hedge fund industry as being at the cutting edge of finance. It is constantly evolving and adapting to developments in the capital markets. It also tends to attract some of the best and brightest minds. Given these factors, I have found that the hedge fund industry presents a constant intellectual challenge, which has made it hugely rewarding and exciting. It has also been a fascinating period to have been involved in the financial markets given the considerable gyrations and crises. These include the “tech wreck” of 2000-02 and the recent “credit crunch.” Adverse periods are hugely informative and I have sought to learn as much as possible from crisis episodes such as these.

As someone of a Lebanese descent, how do you think your success can inspire others in your home country?

I believe it is critical to take pride in your work and to constantly challenge and better yourself. This is the surest way to advance your goals and build a successful career or business.

Can you tell us about the link (or common philosophy) between Acropolis Capital, the Acropolis Multi-Strategy Fund since and the Chartouni family office?

Acropolis Capital was established in 2001 by the Chartouni family office as its investment advisory arm focusing on hedge fund investments. The Acropolis Multi-Strategy Fund was launched in January 2002 as a multi-strategy fund of hedge funds. Acropolis Capital acts as the investment advisor to the fund and the Chartouni family office is a significant investor in the fund.

The Acropolis Multi-Strategy Fund was nominated in the InvestHedge Fund of Hedge Funds Awards 2009 taking place on March 11th in New York. How do you feel about the nomination and what significance does it hold for your institution?

We are very pleased to have received this nomination from the leading industry publication for funds of hedge funds. While we ultimately did not win the award, we are nonetheless thrilled to have received recognition for the focus and hard work of the team at Acropolis Capital. This nomination helps raise the profile of our firm and fund and we hope it will help us in raising investor capital. In addition to receiving this nomination, we expect the fund to receive a rating from Standard & Poor’s in the coming weeks.

Why do you think the nomination came about?

We were selected as one of just five nominees from over 450 peers. This reflects our excellent risk adjusted returns over the last three years, which has included the most turbulent market conditions in living memory. Over the three years ending December 2009, our fund outperformed the S&P 500 by over 40%.

What is your investment strategy?

We seek to generate steady growth of wealth, preserve capital and avoid significant losses. We do this by carefully selecting “best in breed” hedge funds that represent different investment strategies and risk exposures. We strive to construct a portfolio of hedge funds that delivers steady returns for our investors that are uncorrelated to the broader markets.

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