Ethos and Culture

THE QUEST TEAM

Learning Culture

Individual
Responsibility
And Awareness
Within the
Context of the
Group's purpose

Thinkers, Analysts and Strategists

We are a dedicated team of investment professionals


Nigol Koulajian

Founder & CIO

Nigol Koulajian - Image

Nigol Koulajian

Founder & CIO

Nigol Koulajian is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Quest. Mr. Koulajian founded Quest in March 2001 to pursue his passion for quantitative investment research and strategy development, which he has focused on from the beginning of his career in the early 1990's. After lengthy research, Mr. Koulajian identified specific strategies using proprietary techniques that have been continuously enhanced over the past twenty-four years and became the basis for the growth of Quest. The firm, based in New York, manages $2.4 billion in assets and employs forty people as of March 2024.

In 2002, Mr. Koulajian started the NOK Foundation, which is committed to promoting the study and practice of yoga and meditation globally. Mr. Koulajian has acted as a board member of the Omega Institute and David Lynch Foundation. Mr. Koulajian earned an MBA in finance from Columbia Business School and a BS in electrical engineering from Notre Dame.

Mike Harris

President

Mike Harris - Image

Mike Harris

President

Mike Harris is President at Quest, leading all functional areas of the firm. Prior to joining Quest in June 2022, Mr. Harris was Director of Family Office and a Partner at Verdence Capital Advisors, charged with enhancing and growing the firm’s multi-family-office division. Prior to Verdence, Mr. Harris spent nearly two decades at Campbell & Company, one of the longest-standing firms in the CTA industry. In his time at Campbell, he held multiple roles on the trading team and ultimately served as the firm’s President for over seven years. As President, Mr. Harris developed new partnerships with some of the world’s largest institutional investors and successfully launched innovative products in the managed futures space. Prior to Campbell, Mr. Harris worked as a Futures and Options Broker at REFCO. Mr. Harris began his career at Morgan Stanley, where he made strategic investments in leading systematic hedge funds. From 2013 to 2019, Mr. Harris served on the board of the Managed Funds Association, including acting as Chairman of the Board for two years. Mr. Harris holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Economics and Japanese Studies from Gettysburg College.

Robert Toth

Head of Trading

Robert Toth - Image

Robert Toth

Head of Trading

Robert Toth is Head of Trading at Quest. From 2010 until 2014, Mr. Toth was Head of Trading for Vegasoul Capital Management, a high frequency, systematic hedge fund. He was responsible for global trading, technology and quantitative research with a specific focus on transaction cost analysis and portfolio optimization. Prior to joining Vegasoul, Mr. Toth worked at Quest beginning in 2005. His responsibilities included quantitative development and trading. Mr. Toth holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science and an MBA from Columbia Business School (Honors with Distinction). 

Paul Czkwianianc

Partner

Paul Czkwianianc - Image

Paul Czkwianianc

Partner

Paul Czkwianianc is a Partner and advisor to Quest. Mr. Czkwianianc has collaborated with Quest’s Founder and CIO, Nigol Koulajian, for over two decades in conceptualizing, designing and implementing Quest’s unique Alpha-generating strategies. As a founding principal of Quest in 2001, Mr. Czkwianianc has driven the development of the firm’s investment platform and innovation of new models and strategies. Mr. Czkwianianc started his career in 1999 as a Research Analyst at Enterprise Asset Management, a Firm co-founded by Mr. Koulajian. Mr. Czkwianianc holds a B.S. degree in Applied Mathematics from Columbia University and an M.S. degree in Mathematics from New York University. At NYU, he was enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Mathematics, where he worked on mathematical modeling in neuroscience.

Prashant Kolluri

Partner

Prashant Kolluri - Image

Prashant Kolluri

Partner

Prashant Kolluri is a Partner and advisor to Quest. Prior to joining Quest, Mr. Kolluri was President of Sterling Ridge Capital Management, a US focused Long/Short equity manager, of which he was a founding member in 2013. Mr. Kolluri was responsible for business management and also led several investment strategy initiatives.

Prior to Sterling Ridge, Mr. Kolluri was Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of the Hedge Fund business at Investcorp International Inc., which had approximately $4.7 billion in AUM. In this role, Mr. Kolluri was Chair of the Investment Committee and responsible for all investment decisions across Fund of Hedge Funds, Customized Accounts, Seeding, and Special Opportunities Portfolios. Over a 15-year career at Investcorp, Mr. Kolluri helped grow and transform the business from its roots as a proprietary investment activity to a multi-product fiduciary business. Prior to Investcorp, Mr. Kolluri was at Citibank N.A. as a Manager of Foreign Exchange and Options and at Nikko Investment Bank in Equity Sales. Mr. Kolluri began his career at American Express International as a Finance Analyst. Mr. Kolluri received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Mumbai, India. He is also a graduate of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAI) and a CFA charterholder.