ABOUT US
Leonis Group is demarked by 11 named stars—Alpha through Omicron Leonis that make up the constellation Leo—its shape resembling a crouching lion. Leo was associated with the mythological Nemean Lion, which, impervious to weapons, was finally subdued by Hercules.
Today at Leonis Group, our solutions are powerful. We integrate internal expertise with access to leading individuals, and entities—multiple stars—operating across three verticals. Our firm enables individuals and institutions to reach better decisions and make sounder investments though smarter technology. Our success hinges on deep relationships with clients and long-standing connectivity with accomplished thought leaders across industries. This network effect is real, powerful, and effectual.
OUR PRACTICE AREAS
Leonis Group focuses its operations across three verticals, which enable results-oriented outcomes for our clients:
TRANSFORMING INFORMATION INTO INSIGHT
The world is awash in information. Everyone has a voice. Opinions masquerade as facts. Logic is in short supply. Information can be power if curated, understood, and applied to real-world scenarios. At Leonis Group, we are experts at identifying and vetting unconventional data sources, managing massive, unstructured information repositories, and drawing inductively valid conclusions—the result—acuity that guides every decision we make.
DECISION MAKING TECHNOLOGY
At Leonis Group, technology isn’t just a tool in our arsenal—it’s at the foundation of how we approach every challenge. We’ve created proprietary algorithms that when used properly—critically, with domain expertise applied—can lead to powerful results and supercharge value creation.
INVESTMENTS
AND CAPITAL ALLOCATION
Building wealth depends on allocating capital to its highest and best use. Modern markets are highly efficient and supremely competitive. Capital seeks opportunities globally, but bad ideas are everywhere, obscuring the few that might be uniquely transformative. At Leonis Group, we believe that success hinges on the courage to invest when it’s most emotionally trying—when the storm is already upon us. It requires conviction to commit to long-term opportunities, tempered with the wariness and sagacity to identify deteriorating fundamentals and position resiliently.
JAMES C. McGRATH
James McGrath is a proven leader in investments, technology, and financial research with over 25 years of experience in capital markets, security analysis, due diligence, and banking.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with honors, earning two degrees: a B.A. in Philosophy and a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School, James subsequently earned an MBA in Finance with distinction from the Yale School of Management (SOM).
James began his career on the Global Equity Program Trading desk at Salomon Brothers as a quantitative analyst and was later hired as a member of the Financial Engineering team of the Global Principal Finance group at UBS. Afterwards, he worked to develop trading systems and portfolio analytics for Bank of America’s hedge fund clients and later, at the Federal Reserve Bank, where he advised on U.S. payments system risk and economics.
Eventually, James went on to build a cutting-edge investment program and research team for one of largest independent wealth advisers in the country. Serving as Chief Investment Officer of LGL Partners and the trusted advisor for billion-dollar families, he helped to drive the US client base to over $13BN AUM. Prior to his retirement from the firm, he served as a partner, a member of the executive committee, and Co-CIO for the North American FFT business of Stanhope Capital, a $28BN global private investment firm with offices across Europe and the United States.
Among his accomplishments was the development of the award-winning AlphaBeta investment technology for LGL and FFT. This investment “operating system” integrates analytics, project management, CRM, document management, portfolio construction, client reporting, and investment tax analysis. On the strength of this infrastructure, the firm was named, “Best Alternative Asset Manager” from a leading industry group and recognized as a global authority on hedge fund investing.
James has been awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) charter, the CAIA® Charter, and the Financial Risk Manager (FRM®) certification.