Paragon IM Pty Ltd (Paragon) is the Fund Manager of the Paragon Fund ARSN 161 565 920.
Solely dedicated to the one fund, Paragon applies a disciplined investment approach where it has an edge – investing predominantly in listed equities, both longs and shorts, within the industrials and resources sectors globally, particularly in Australia and North America.
Paragon was established in December 2024, to undertake the role of Fund Manager, after the voluntary retirement of Paragon Funds Management Ltd (PFM) as the responsible entity (RE) of the Fund, upon the appointment of an external RE for the Fund.
John Deniz is Chief Investment Officer of the Paragon Fund and has held the role since its inception on 1st March 2013. As Paragon’s principal and founder (as well as PFM beforehand), John has a significant portion of his own personal wealth invested in the Fund, ensuring strong alignment with investors is maintained at all times.
Melbourne Securities Corporation Ltd (ACN 160 326 545, AFS Licence No. 428 289) was appointed RE of the Fund on 29 June 2026. Paragon is a Corporate Authorised Representative (No. 1312888) of MSC Advisory Pty Ltd (ACN 607 459 441, AFSL No. 480649), a related party to the RE.
John Deniz
Chief Investment Officer
As Chief Investment Officer, John Deniz is responsible for executing the investment strategy of the Paragon Fund.
John has over 20 years of experience in financial markets, including the last 12 years at Paragon as CIO of the Fund (and founder and principal).
Prior to establishing Paragon, John worked at a global resources absolute return fund for 4 years, dedicated solely to the Australian long/short component of the portfolio. Prior to that, John spent 4 years on the sell-side, including heading Industrials research.
Prior to entering the finance industry, John held senior positions as an Engineer for over 8 years in leading global organisations, where he designed and project managed various large-scale, greenfield capital projects across Asia Pacific and the EU.
John holds an MBA from Melbourne Business School, and a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) (Hons) with first-class honours in Applied Mathematics from the University of Melbourne and has also completed CFA Level 1.
Zoe Ho
Chief Operating Officer
Zoe Ho was appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Paragon in June 2026 and is responsible for the general operations of the Paragon Fund, including oversight of key service providers, ensuring Paragon’s obligations to investors is met at all times. Zoe also assumes responsibility for all operational and administrative functions of Paragon.
Zoe has broad experience across funds management and financial services. She joins Paragon following eight years at Bennelong Funds Management (BFM), which included close involvement with the Paragon Fund for the duration that BFM was responsible entity (from December 2024 to June 2026).
Zoe holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne and is a Chartered Accountant.
Our Philosophy
High conviction stock picks
We’re proud of our idea generation and deep thematic-led research effort. We pride ourselves in finding strong investments early, being index unaware, and having the ability to take a contrarian view. This results in a portfolio of high conviction and high alpha stock picks.
Fundamental investors at heart
It is critical to understand both the industry (top-down) and the company (bottom-up), in order to accurately and fully assess an investment opportunity. Paragon dedicates time to meet with industry experts and management to gain deep insights for all stocks it invests in.
Our Edge
Our unique offering ensures we stand out and provide a competitive edge:
- Independent thinkers challenging the status quo
- Unparalleled knowledge and experience across the resources sector
- Thematically based investment approach focussing our energy and capital where we see structural growth
- An all-cap mandate with a flexible and agile approach to investing
- Proprietary research and idea generation enabling smart investment decisions ahead of the market
Performance
Paragon’s historical performance by calendar and financial years, plus cumulative net return since inception and more.
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Monthly Updates
Paragon’s monthly updates provide a general overview of the Fund’s performance and exposure levels, stock-specific pieces, and other highlights as relevant.
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Invest
How to make an initial or additional investment in the Fund; How to make a withdrawal from the Fund.
