Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) today announced the launch of the Morgan Stanley Emerging Manager Program (EM Program). The EM Program seeks to identify and provide capital, as well as strategic advice and infrastructure solutions, to emerging asset managers (Emerging Managers), with a specific emphasis on minority and women-owned asset managers.
The new EM Program, headed by Morgan Stanley veteran Carla A. Harris, will partner with long-only (equity and fixed income) and alternative minority and women-owned asset managers to achieve the following key objectives:
- Increase the number of Emerging Managers of scale and heighten the Emerging Manager opportunity for growth and success; and
- Introduce plan sponsors and other institutional investors to a larger, more diversified pool of Emerging Managers and the means to participate in the success of emerging talent.
"We are excited about the prospects of partnering with Emerging Managers that we believe will benefit substantially from Morgan Stanley's premier infrastructure partnerships, business strategy insights and accelerating capital, in order to allow them to focus on managing assets and achieving superior long-term performance," said Ms. Harris.
Ms. Harris added, "We believe that Emerging Managers will present attractive opportunities over the next few years, particularly as public and corporate pension plans seek to diversify their asset management providers and employees look for diverse asset managers among the choices on their employer defined contribution platforms. This program will increase the opportunity for plan sponsors and other institutional investors to get exposure to a larger pool of untapped talent and to place assets with a diverse group of managers."
The EM Program will be a part of Alternative Investment Partners (AIP), a division of MSIM which manages portfolios of private equity, hedge fund and real estate investments on behalf of institutional and high net worth clients. The manager participants in the EM Program will be overseen by an Investment Committee comprising representatives and senior management from across Morgan Stanley and MSIM.
Morgan Stanley Investment Management, together with its investment advisory affiliates, has nearly 1,000 investment professionals around the world and approximately $386 billion in assets under management or supervision as of September 30, 2009. By leveraging its global ‘community of boutiques' structure and the strength of Morgan Stanley, MSIM strives to provide outstanding long-term investment performance, service and a comprehensive suite of investment management solutions to a diverse client base, which includes governments, institutions, corporations and individuals worldwide.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services. The Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals from more than 1,200 offices in 36 countries. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.
Media Relations Contact: Erica Platt, 212.762.6848