IN EUROPE · & Company’s executive committee, is chairman of the board and president for William...
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INVESTMENT INVESTMENT INTELLIGENCE FOR THE FUND PROFESSIONAL EUROPE April 2014 www.investmenteurope.net William Blair Investment Management is the investment management business of William Blair & Company, the Chicago, US headquartered financial firm, which is also engaged in investment banking, private wealth management and institutional sales & trading. e Investment Management business in Europe is focused on the institutional market, led out of offices in London and Zurich - which are part of a network of 13 offices globally for the overall group, which claims some $72.4bn in client assets as of December 2013. In Europe since the 1990s, the group launched the first of its Luxembourg based Sicav funds in 2004. Since then the range of Sicav funds has grown to some eight, across US, global and emerging market equities, and multi asset. As Michelle Seitz, head of Investment Management at William Blair explains, the key driver behind the manager’s growth in Europe has been its focus on institutional clients, and the needs that they have expressed. is means that there is no retail distribution business in Europe, although there are a couple of B2B2C relationships in the region. “Sustainable value-add to the client is the focus. is may be an overall solution, or part of a solution,” she says. William Blair is an active manager, she notes. It does not do passive. is active management is focused across the market cap spectrum, and across both developed and emerging markets, as well as different asset classes, although it sees itself as predominantly a provider of equity strategies (see box on vehicle types, above right). KEY MARKETS e manager opened its first European accounts in Switzerland. ereaſter it has been markets such as the UK and then Finland where it has seen most traction, Seitz says. However, the development is really steered by the client relationship rather than a Michelle Seitz is a member of William Blair & Company’s executive committee, is chairman of the board and president for William Blair Funds, and since 2001 has led William Blair Investment Managment, consisting of the institutional, mutual fund, and private wealth management businesses. In this role, she is responsible for some $63bn in assets as of the end of February, 2014. Seitz has some 26 years of investment experience. Before joining William Blair she held senior portfolio management roles with Nationsbank in North Carolina.
Transcript of IN EUROPE · & Company’s executive committee, is chairman of the board and president for William...
INVESTMENTINVESTMENT INTELLIGENCE FOR THE FUND PROFESSIONAL
EUROPEApril 2014 www.investmenteurope.net
William Blair Investment Management is the investment management business of William Blair & Company, the Chicago, US headquartered � nancial � rm, which is also engaged in investment banking, private wealth management and institutional sales & trading.
� e Investment Management business in Europe is focused on the institutional market, led out of o ces in London and Zurich - which are part of a network of 13 o ces globally for the overall group, which claims some $72.4bn in client assets as of December 2013.
In Europe since the 1990s, the group launched the � rst of its Luxembourg based Sicav funds in 2004. Since then the range of Sicav funds has grown to some eight, across US, global and emerging market equities, and multi asset.
As Michelle Seitz, head of Investment Management at William Blair explains, the key driver behind the manager’s growth in Europe has been its focus on institutional clients, and the needs that they have expressed. � is means that there is no retail distribution business in Europe, although there are a couple of B2B2C relationships in the region.
“Sustainable value-add to the client is the focus. � is may be an overall solution, or part of a solution,” she
says.William Blair is an active manager, she notes. It does not do passive. � is active management
is focused across the market cap spectrum, and across both developed and emerging markets, as well as di� erent asset classes, although it sees itself as predominantly a provider of equity strategies (see box on vehicle types, above right).
KEY MARKETS� e manager opened its � rst European accounts in Switzerland. � erea� er it has been markets such as the UK and then Finland where it has seen most traction, Seitz says.
However, the development is really steered by the client relationship rather than a
Michelle Seitz is a member of William Blair & Company’s executive committee, is chairman of the board and president for William Blair Funds, and since 2001 has led William Blair Investment Managment, consisting of the institutional, mutual fund, and private wealth management businesses.
In this role, she is responsible for some $63bn in assets as of the end of February, 2014.
Seitz has some 26 years of investment experience. Before joining William Blair she held senior portfolio management roles with Nationsbank in North Carolina.
Information herein is from sources believed reliable, but accuracy and interpretation cannot be guaranteed. Opinions expressed are our own unless otherwise stated. Past performance is not an indication of future results. � is should not be construed as a recommendation of William Blair & Company, LLC’s asset management products or services. � is material has been approved for distribution in the United Kingdom by William Blair International, Limited, authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and is directed only at, and is only made available to, persons falling within COBS 3.5 and 3.6 of the FCA Handbook (being “professional clients” and “eligible counterparties”). � is material is distributed in Australia by William Blair & Company, LLC (“William Blair”), which is exempt from the requirement to hold an Australian � nancial services licence under Australia’s Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) pursuant to ASIC Class Order 03/1100. William Blair is registered as an investment advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission under U.S. laws, which di� er from Australian laws. � is document is distributed only to wholesale clients as that term is de� ned under Australia’s Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). Material is solely for your information and may not be reproduced, forwarded to any other person or published, in whole or in part, for any purpose. Reprinted with permission by The Reprint and Licensing Centre. (www.rl-centre.com / 0207 501 1085). Not to be reproduced without authorisation.
VEHICLESWilliam Blair o� ers four types of vehicles to investors:
Seperate accounts - consisting of “customized management of seperate accounts across the growth equity capitalization spectrum in all US and international markets, in addition to expertise in value equity, � xed-income, multi-asset, and alternative management”.Mutual funds - the company manages some $15.3bn (as at end of December 2013) in 26 actively managed mutual funds, which rely on a fundamental investment approach that seeks long term performance in US growth and value equity, global growth equity, � xed income, money market and dynamic allocation strategies.Collective investment trusts - which target quali� ed clients in the US.Sicav - via a series of Luxembourg-domiciled Sicav products that provide active management and quality growth investment expertise in US, global, and emerging markets.
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