Anne Dias-Griffin

Anne Dias-Griffin
Born 1970 (age 44–45)
France
Nationality American
Other names Anne Dias
Alma mater Georgetown University School of Foreign Service
Harvard Business School
Occupation Hedge fund manager
Spouse(s) Kenneth C. Griffin (2003-present; divorcing); 3 children

Anne Dias-Griffin (born 1970) is an American money manager and philanthropist. She is the founder and Managing Partner of the Chicago-based Aragon Global Management, a hedge fund that focuses on global equities.[1]

Early life and education

Dias Griffin was born in France in 1970.[2] She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1992, where she once worked as an overnight security guard to pay for tuition.[3][4][5][6] She received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1997.[7]

Career

To further finance her undergraduate education, Dias Griffin worked full-time during college, on both domestic and foreign policy issues.[8] She was a research assistant to constitutional law scholar Walter Berns, the Olin Professor of Government at Georgetown University, and helped research a book on the Electoral College.[9] She also assisted Patrick J. Glynn, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, on his book about the history of the Cold War.[10]

In 1991, she was the Brussels Representative for the American Electronics Association, and focused on European policy issues. She also worked on European Community and foreign policy issues as an intern at the German Parliament in Bonn and Berlin during the summer of 1992.[8]

Dias Griffin has written on foreign policy issues for the Financial Times; she wrote about US loans to help rain forest conservation in Latin America.[11][12]

She owns the for-profit website Reboot Illinois, which she launched in 2012.[13][14][15][16][17]

Investment career

After receiving her degree from Georgetown University, Dias Griffin worked as a financial analyst in the Investment Banking department of Goldman Sachs in London and New York and at Fidelity Investments Limited in London.[18][19] She joined Soros Fund Management as an analyst after obtaining her MBA and was promoted to portfolio manager one year later.[1] At Soros, she specialized in the retail and financial services industry and managed a long/short portfolio of financial services stocks. Dias Griffin then joined Connecticut-based Viking Global Investors as an analyst, focusing on global media and internet stocks.[20]

Dias Griffin started her own fund, Aragon Global Management, LLC in New York City in 2001 with start-up capital from hedge fund titan Julian Robertson of Tiger Management. Aragon invests in media, technology, and telecommunications companies around the world; at its peak managed close to $200 million in assets.[21] At the end of 2009, Dias Griffin returned capital from outside investors to focus on her family and the Kenneth and Anne Griffin Foundation, and ran Aragon as a family office.[22][23]

In 2010, Dias-Griffin ran a hedge fund called Navarra.[24]

Kenneth and Anne Griffin Foundation

Dias Griffin was co-President of the Kenneth and Anne Griffin Foundation, which she co-founded in 2009; it was dissolved in 2014 due to the couple's divorce.[25][26] The foundation focuses on early childhood education, the arts, and medical research, with particular emphasis on the health of women and children. The Griffins pledged more than $100 million to leading innovators and entrepreneurs whose initiatives are bringing measurable and sustainable change to the community.[27] Dias Griffin organizes a national conference on early childhood education every year in Chicago for teachers, academic researchers and public policy experts.[28]

In 2006, Anne Dias Griffin and Kenneth Griffin gave $19 million to the Art Institute of Chicago, and in 2009, the Griffin's donated $10 million to establish the Griffin Early Childhood Center.[29][30]

In 2010, they donated $16 million to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago of Chicago at Northwestern University to create an Emergency Care Center, which opened in 2012.[31][32]

In 2010, Dias Griffin founded the Chicago Heights Early Childhood Center (CHECC), an experimental school program for preschool-aged kids. Since then, Dias Griffin has partnered with University of Chicago and Harvard economics professors to support and refine the program. The CHECC has helped close to 900 children.[33]

Boards

Dias Griffin is a member of Harvard Business School’s Board of Dean's Advisors, a Director of the Museum of Modern Art, and a Trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, and the Civic Federation of Chicago.[34][35] Dias Griffin is also on the Advisory Board of WomenOnCall.org.[36]

Dias Griffin is a former trustee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where she headed the Investment Committee.[37] She was also a Trustee of the Children's Memorial Medical Center and Foundation which is part of the Lurie Children’s Hospital at Northwestern University.[38] Dias Griffin is a former director of Friends of Island Academy (FOIA).[39]

Personal life

Dias Griffin married hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin in 2003. On July 23, 2014, Griffin filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences”. The couple has three children.[40]

Awards

Published papers

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Escape Focus 40 under 40, 2006". Crain's. November 5, 2006.
  2. ↑ Courtney Comstock and Isabelle Schafer (May 9, 2011). "The Hottest Hedge Fund Wives On Wall Street". Business Insider.
  3. ↑ Tim Murphy (October 24, 2007). "Who Gets to Marry a Billionaire?". New York Magazine.
  4. ↑ Nicolas Berggruen (September 10, 2013). "Good Governance: Lighten Up or Tighten Up??". Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
  5. ↑ "Chicago John Carroll Weekend: Acknowledgements". Georgetown University. April 26, 2012.
  6. ↑ Michael Sneed (July 24, 2014). "Sneed: Timing of divorce filing stuns billionaire Ken Griffin's wife". Chicago Sun-Times.
  7. ↑ "Our Patrons". University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Hanson, Janet (March 13, 2006). More Than 85 Broads. McGraw Hill Professional. ISBN 9780071423687. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Berns, Walter (1983). After the People Vote. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. ISBN 9780844735405. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Glynn, Patrick J. (1992). Closing Pandora's Box. Basic Books. ISBN 9780465098095. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  11. ↑ Sheelah Kolhatkar (April 16, 2007). "Opening Up the Citadel". Upstart Business Journal.
  12. ↑ Michael J. De La Merced and Alexandra Stevenson (July 24, 2014). "A Divorce That Thrusts Ken Griffin and Anne Dias Griffin Into the Spotlight". The New York Times.
  13. ↑ Diana Novak (February 20, 2015). "Another round of accusations in billionaire's divorce battle". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 21, 2015. In filings, Anne Dias Griffin has claimed Ken Griffin pressured her to shut down her own hedge fund, Aragon, to spend more time with the family, leaving her without an income. In Friday’s filing, Ken Griffin countered he was the biggest investor in Aragon, and he continued to add money even after the fund had losses for four years. He claims he later gave his wife another $30 million to launch a new hedge fund, Navarra, which closed after a few months of losses. Ken Griffin also invested more than $1 million in his wife’s latest venture, conservative website Reboot Illinois, according to the filing.
  14. ↑ Shia Kapos (November 19, 2012). "Anne Griffin launches Reboot Illinois today". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved February 21, 2015. (Subscription required.)
  15. ↑ Kyle Hillman (November 19, 2012). "Illinois Has A New Conservative Blog, So Why is The Headline Contributor the Democratic Governor? (Updated)". ChicagoNow. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  16. ↑ Kiratiana Freelon (July 24, 2014). "One of the world’s wealthiest men has ‘unilaterally’ filed for divorce from his financier wife". Washington Post. Retrieved February 21, 2015. Dias Griffin recently launched Reboot Illinois, which NBC Chicago described as a “conservative-leaning political site.”
  17. ↑ "Reboot Illinois". The Huffington Post . Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Anthony Malakian (October 1, 2009). "The Top 25 Nonbank Women in Finance: #19 Anne Dias Griffin". American Banker.
  19. ↑ Forbes.com staff (November 14, 2007). "Billionaire Wives Club Gets New Member". Forbes.com.
  20. ↑ Melissa Harris (June 2, 2012). "Chicago Confidential: Anne Dias Griffin to launch media company, reform-minded news site". Chicago Tribune.
  21. ↑ "TODAY'S DEALS: Aragon Completes Kansas City Acquisition". Multi-Housing News. May 9, 2012.
  22. ↑ Danielle Beurteaux (June 1, 2010). "Doing more with less". HedgeFund Intelligence.
  23. ↑ Becky Yerak (July 24, 2014). "Hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin files for divorce". Chicago Tribune.
  24. ↑ Shia Kapos (February 20, 2015). "Ken Griffin gives his side of the blowup in the bedroom". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved February 21, 2015. From the time of their marriage in 2003 to Dec. 31, 2009, his lawyers say, “Ken was the single largest investor in Aragon” Global Management, a hedge-fund company that also was seeded with money from billionaire New York investor Julian Robertson. Ken Griffin's attorneys say their client's investment represented 70 percent of Aragon's investment capital in 2006 and that investors, “including Ken,” lost approximately 20 percent of their investment. The filings state Ken Griffin continued to invest in Aragon after 2009, and that the company continued to incur losses of about 5 percent in 2010 and 11 percent in 2011. “Under Anne's management, Aragon lost money for four consecutive years.” The filings state that he also gave $30 million in 2010 for her to finance a new hedge fund, called Navarra. “In just a few months under Anne's oversight, Navarra had incurred cumulative losses of over 10 percent and ceased operations,” the documents state.
  25. ↑ Kenneth and Anne Griffin Foundation dissolved, breakingnews.suntimes.com; accessed February 12, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Kenneth C. Griffin". The Fund Chicago Public Education. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  27. ↑ John Lauerman (February 20, 2014). "Citadel's Griffin Gives Harvard $150 Million for Student Aid". Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
  28. ↑ "2012 Frontiers in Education Conference". The Kenneth and Anne Griffin Foundation. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  29. ↑ Dealbook (July 26, 2007). "Citadel's Griffin at the Art World's Gates". The New York Times.
  30. ↑ Oliver Staley (February 23, 2011). "Chicago Economist’s 'Crazy Idea' Wins Ken Griffin's Backing". Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
  31. ↑ Melissa Harris and Bruce Japsen (January 7, 2010). "Kenneth and Anne Griffin give $16 million to Children's Memorial Hospital". Chicago Tribune.
  32. ↑ Melissa Harris and Bruce Japsen. "Griffins' gift will enhance emergency care in new hospital". Lurie Children's Hospital. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  33. ↑ Jill Radsken (August 18, 2014). "Closing the Education Gap". Harvard Business School.
  34. ↑ "Officers & Board of Trustees". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  35. ↑ "Board of Trustees". Whitney Museum of American Art. July 1, 2014.
  36. ↑ "National Advisory Board". WomenOnCall.org. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  37. ↑ "Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association Board of Trustees". Chicago Symphony Orchestra. October 17, 2012.
  38. ↑ "Children’s Memorial Hospital Receives $16 Million Gift from The Kenneth and Anne Griffin Foundation". Business Wire. January 6, 2010.
  39. ↑ "Board: Friends of Island Academy". Friends of Island Academy. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  40. ↑ Andrew Harris, Saijel Kishan and Katherine Burton (July 24, 2014). "Citadel's Griffin Seeks Divorce After 11-Year Marriage". Bloomberg News.
  41. ↑ Philippa Aylmer. "50 Leading Women in Hedge Funds". The HedgeFund Journal. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  42. ↑ "2010 Annual Award Dinner Honoring Anne Dias Griffin, MBA97 & Kenneth Griffin, AB89". University Club of Chicago. March 13, 2010.
  43. ↑ Michael Sisk (October 2, 2007). "Peer to Peer". American Banker.
  44. ↑ Michael Sisk (October 1, 2008). "Peer to Peer". American Banker.
  45. ↑ "Wonder Women". Texas Wall Street Women. October 14, 2008.
  46. ↑ "40 under 40". Crain's Chicago Business. 2006.
  47. ↑ "20 Rising Stars of Hedge Funds". Institutional Investor. 2006.
  48. ↑ "David A. Moss". Publications. Harvard Business School. 2006. Archived from the original on October 9, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-15.