Nick Parrish and Varun Varma of GCM Grosvenor Visited Campus
on Monday, April 25, 2016
Dr. David Krause and his students in the AIM program and
Alternative Investments classes were again treated to a presentation by Nick
Parrish and Varun Varma of GCM Grosvenor. The firm is a major global
alternative asset manager specializing in hedge fund, private equity,
infrastructure and other asset classes.
 |
| Dr. Krause, Varun Varma and Nicholas Parrish |
GCM Grosvenor invests on behalf of clients who seek
allocations to alternative investments, such as hedge funds, private equity,
real estate and infrastructure. With about $50 billion in assets under
management, they are one of the world’s largest and most diversified
independent alternative asset management firms. Grosvenor is headquartered in
Chicago and has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and
Seoul.
The firm specializes in developing customized portfolios for
clients who want an active role in the development of their alternatives
programs. They offer multi-client portfolios for investors who desire a
turn-key solution for accessing alternative investments – which includes
multi-manager portfolios as well as portfolios of direct investments and
co-investments. Their portfolios range from highly concentrated to broadly
diversified.
Dr. Krause said, “Nick and Varun always do an outstanding job
in the classroom and in informal discussions with the AIM students. They
provided a solid presentation to the Alternative Investments class on hedge
funds and they were excellent at engaging the students in conversations in the
AIM Room. This year Nick and Varun discussed the debate over the performance of
hedge funds and the challenges of investing in rapidly moving,
technology-driven markets. It is great to have them return to Marquette each
spring.”  |
| Nicholas Parrish |
Nicholas Parrish shares responsibility for product
development, new business development, and strategic initiatives relating to
the firm’s global institutional and retail client base. Prior to joining GCM
Grosvenor, from 2003 to 2004, he was associated with U.S. Bancorp Fund
Services, and from 2002 to 2003, Mr. Parrish was associated with Northwestern
Mutual in Chicago. Mr. Parrish received his Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration, double majoring in Business Economics and Finance, from
Marquette University in 2002. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® and
Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designations and is a member of the
CFA Institute, the CFA Society of Chicago and the CAIA Association®.
 |
| Varun Varma |
Varun Varma is an Analyst with GCM Grosvenor in Chicago. He is
a part of their three-year analyst program and has been with the firm since September
2013. Varun graduated from Marquette
University with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. He had
multiple majors including: Finance - Applied Investment Management; Accounting;
and Economics. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2013. Previous to working at
Grosvenor, he was a Summer Analyst at Cascade Investments in Seattle. Varun
also was an Investment Intern with the City of Milwaukee Employes' Retirement
System.
