The Rock Creek Group, LP is a global investment management firm with over 75 professionals dedicated to serving an institutional client base that includes endowments, foundations, corporate and public pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and other institutional investors. The firm was founded in 2002 by founder and CEO Afsaneh Beschloss and has approximately $13.4 billion in assets under management. Rock Creek specializes in multi asset class solutions, alternatives and emerging market investments. Rock Creek is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in New York City. The Rock Creek Group is an SEC-registered investment adviser under the U.S. Investment Advisers Act of 1940 since its inception.
The Rock Creek team led global investments for the World Bank, notably in alternative energy and ESG, other alternative investments, including private equity and venture capital, and in emerging markets, since the early 1990s, before launching Rock Creek in 2002. During careers at the World Bank spanning over twenty-five years, Rock Creek personnel were responsible for managing portfolios totalling as much as $115 billion of traditional and alternative investments for a client base that included central banks, pension plans, endowments and foundations, and sovereign wealth funds. Team members also managed an over-the-counter derivatives book as large as $250 billion (notional). While at the World Bank, Ms. Beschloss founded the Natural Gas Group and led the Energy Sector Management Group, focusing on responsible energy policy and investment. Likewise, Rock Creek Senior Managing Director, Kenneth Lay, led the team which created the first "green bond" during his tenure as Treasurer of the World Bank.
The Rock Creek team now includes colleagues who worked in asset management, consulting firms, and universities. The team and its clients have been remarkably stable; today, the client base is 100% institutional, comprised of public pension plans, endowments and foundations, and Fortune 100 corporations.
Rock Creek's investment philosophy, manager selection approach, and portfolio construction processes are based on our team's many years of experience working in large sophisticated institutions. In addition, Rock Creek does a great deal on improving diversity in the asset management industry, and we are one of the biggest investors in diverse women-owned and minority firms
When Rock Creek’s founder established the firm in 2002, her vision was to create an institution that would have a positive, lasting impact on the global economy. Rock Creek encourages its entire organization to become a positive force in the community through employee volunteer efforts as well as other ways in giving back to the community. The research and promotion of sustainable investing is a high priority for us and as such is overseen by our Investment Committee. Rock Creek’s Legal and Compliance group is ultimately responsible for monitoring and enforcing the firm’s sustainability policies. Furthermore, Rock Creek encourages our clients and our portfolio managers to incorporate impact and ESG into their process.
In particular, the firm emphasizes continuing public service, and a number of team members are on the boards and investment committees of non-profits. For example, Ms. Afsaneh Beschloss, the founder and CEO of Rock Creek, was a member of the Ford Foundation's Impact Investment Advisory Group. Furthermore, Ms. Beschloss is on Board of Governors and the Boards of the Endowment Fund and Investment Committee and the Compensation and Management Committee of the American Red Cross. She is also a member of the Board at the Institute for Advanced Study, PBS (Vice Chair), and the World Wide Web Foundation (Board Chair).
With regard to good corporate governance, Rock Creek's involvement in this critical issue includes:
• The Rock Creek team has experience in both policy making and has worked on corporate governance since the mid-1990s. The team includes more than ten professionals previously employed at the World Bank Group.
• Ownership of The Rock Creek Group includes women and minority ownership. Rock Creek is among the industry's largest allocators to MWOB firms; not due to a predetermined quota, but because they represent compelling opportunities in their own right. Today, Rock Creek has almost $1B of assets with MWOB investment firms, which is significant given this group of managers represents less than 3.5% of total industry assets.
• Team members have presented at many conferences such as Public Pension Fund Management (2001) with other notable experts on corporate governance.
• Team member have served on corporate boards and worked with corporate governance leaders such as Bob Monks and Nell Minnow in the mid 1990's. Team members included good corporate governance objectives to World Bank investments as well as advice provided through financial technical assistance.
• The Rock Creek Group's Advisory Board includes well-respected leaders in governance. Dr. Laura D. Tyson, a member of Rock Creek's Advisory Board is a board member of the non-profit Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). Dr. Tyson is a Distinguished Professor of the Graduate School and Director of the Institute for Business & Social Impact at the Berkeley Haas School of Business.
•Rock Creek is an active leader in support of the activities of the Council of Institutional Investors (CII)
•Rock Creek is also an active member of the UK Standards Board for Alternative Investments (SBAI)