Veteran Strategist to Lead Private Markets Expansion Under CIO Bob Shea
Dynasty Financial Partners today announced the appointment of Karim Simplis as Director of Private Markets. As a direct report to Chief Investment Officer Bob Shea, Mr. Simplis will lead private markets sourcing, research, and due diligence across Dynasty’s Outsourced CIO portfolios and proprietary investment models.
“This key hire represents our house view that private markets are an essential component of long-term, diversified portfolio construction,” Mr. Shea said. “Karim brings deep experience in private markets and the proven ability to scale complex alternatives businesses, a combination that makes him a vital addition to our investment platform.”
Mr. Simplis will be responsible for investment and operational due diligence across private equity, private credit, and other alternative strategies. He will also help drive the accessibility of private markets to Dynasty’s growing network of independent firms.
“Dynasty is brilliantly positioned to deliver institutional-quality private market solutions to independent advisors,” Mr. Simplis said. “We’re building the kind of private-markets access that puts advisors in the driver’s seat for clients in search of truly differentiated outcomes.”
Mr. Simplis brings more than 20 years of experience in alternative investments and portfolio strategy. Most recently, he served as Director of Portfolio Strategy at Franklin Templeton, where he helped scale the firm’s alternatives platform from $16 billion to $250 billion. He also held senior roles in the firm’s Global Private Equity group and its alternatives product team.
“Karim has spent his career building institutional-caliber alternatives platforms,” said Dynasty CEO and Founder Shirl Penney. “His approach — built on the conviction that independent advisors deserve high end support — reflects the principles we’ve forged into Dynasty from day one.”
Mr. Simplis earned an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA in Economics/Business Management from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is a CFA® charterholder and active in financial literacy and education initiatives.
Dynasty administers over $120 billion for the clients of more than 500 advisors in 55 independent firms. It manages more than $75 billion on its turnkey investment platform and continues to expand its private markets capabilities.
