Artisan Partners Limited Partnership

Artisan Partners is an investment management firm that was founded in 1994 by Andy and Carlene Ziegler. At its beginning, the company focused on two trends to shape its growth: talent acquisition and open architecture. Top quality investors acquired by the firm are allowed to execute their own investment processes and the open architecture allowed the full utilization of these talents to distribute high quality products through consultants and mutual fund platforms. Artisan Partners started out with a Global Equity Team but now has 7 teams in total, including Growth, U.S. Value, Emerging Markets, Credit, and Developing world. Split amongst its six divisions, with the newest developing world team not having its own yet, the company has developed 14 U.S., non-U.S., and global investment strategies. Artisan Partners utilizes a hybrid business model that allows it to “retain the benefits of a boutique through our autonomous investment team structure and the stability of a holding company or fully integrated firm.” Each team has its own unique investment and research capabilities and the company itself does not have a central research function nor Chief Investment Officer. However, Artisan Partners has centralized operation capabilities that allows it to support each autonomous investment team, ensuring that technology, trading, marketing, and legal and compliance needs are handled efficiently. The firm currently has 345 associates and have principal offices in Milwaukee, San Francisco, Atlanta, New York, Kansas City, and London. Artisan Partners offers its services through a variety of investment vehicles including separate account management, mutual fund vehicles, collective investment trusts, and UCITS vehicles. As of 2015, the company has a total of over $110 billion in total assets under management with approximately 240 accounts. Its largest clients are pension and profit sharing plans, pooled investment vehicles, and state and municipal entities, with a variety of other clients such as charities, banks, high net worth individuals, and insurance companies making up the rest. Some of its notable mutual funds include its Global Value, Global Equity, High Income, and Emerging Markets funds.