Bio
Mamadou-Abou Sarr is the co-founder and President of V-Square Quantitative Management, a Chicago-based multi-asset boutique specializing in quantitative and systematic portfolios. Mamadou founded V-Square in 2020 following a distinguished career spanning over two decades in asset management, with leadership roles across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
An industry leader in quantitative finance and financial innovation, Mamadou previously served as Global Head of Product Development and Sustainable Investing at Northern Trust Asset Management in Chicago. There, he spearheaded innovation and product development across asset classes, with a focus on factor investing and passive strategies. His career also includes senior roles at HSBC Global Asset Management, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Amundi Alternative Investments, and Citi, where he worked in FX trading, treasury, product development, and business development across London, Paris, Abu Dhabi, and Dakar.
Mamadou is a Certified Investment Fund Director (CIFD) and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Université Paris-Saclay and a master’s in international project management from ESCP Business School in Paris. A recognized thought leader, he has published articles in Pensions & Investments, European Pensions, Environmental Finance, and the Journal of Portfolio Management. He has been a speaker at over 150 conferences worldwide and serves as a guest lecturer at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and ESCP Business School.
Dedicated to civic and philanthropic causes, Mamadou serves on the boards of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Nature Conservancy Illinois Chapter and is a former board member of the CFA Society Chicago and the Art Institute of Chicago.
His contributions have earned him numerous recognitions: Financial News’s “Top 40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Asset Management” (2014), Crain’s Chicago Business “40 Under 40” (2017), and inclusion in the IRRI Top 50 Most Influential in Sustainable and Responsible Investing (2017). He is a fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Economic Club of Chicago.
Mamadou is a French Foreign Trade Advisor, appointed by decree of the Prime Minister of France, and in 2022 was named Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) by the French government.