Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (BBH) today announced the appointment of two prominent investment executives to leadership positions within its Private Banking business. BBH is pleased to report that Suzanne Brenner of the Metropolitan Museum of Art will join the Firm as Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer (CIO). In addition, BBH is pleased to announce that Donald Hardie, a long-time private equity investor, has joined the firm as Managing Director and Portfolio Manager within the BBH Capital Partners private equity investment team. BBH Private Banking provides advice and capital to both corporate and private clients, including private business owners and families of substantial wealth. The firm has a deeply held, value-oriented investment philosophy focused on capital preservation and growth over the long term.
Bill Tyree, Managing Partner of BBH, said, "Private Banking is a substantial and important business for BBH, tracing its roots to the founding of our firm. The hiring of these two exceptionally talented professionals demonstrates our continuing reinvestment in the growth of this business. BBH Private Banking's mission is to protect and grow our clients' wealth over generations. Suzanne and Don bring proven investment expertise, paired with the kind of long-term perspective, disciplined practice and collaborative style that matches BBH's approach and drives results for our clients."
Suzanne Brenner will join the BBH investment team from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she served 18 years in various investment-related leadership roles, including 10 years as CIO of the Met's endowment fund. Prior to that, Suzanne served as Director of Investments at the Rockefeller Foundation. In both roles, she built a collaborative investment culture and cohesive team, which produced excellent results through multiple investment cycles. In her role as BBH Private Banking CIO, Suzanne will lead the BBH Private Banking Investment Research Group, which is responsible for manager selection, capital allocation and investment decisions across the firm's Private Banking client portfolio. Suzanne will report to Jeff Meskin, the Partner responsible for Private Banking, and will work closely with Scott Clemons, who will continue to act as Chief Investment Strategist – a role he has held since 2010.
"I am thrilled to be joining BBH," said Suzanne, "a firm that I have long admired for its differentiated investment approach – one that utilizes deep fundamental research and value-oriented strategies to create long-term wealth. I look forward to working with the extraordinarily talented individuals at the firm and using my investment experience to continue to provide excellent results for BBH's clients."
Donald Hardie joins BBH's Capital Partners investment team to help spearhead an expansion of the Capital Partners platform focused on investments in lower middle-market companies. Since 2009, Don led private investments for a single family office based in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he was a Partner. In that capacity, Don was responsible for sourcing, evaluating and providing post-acquisition management and oversight of investments in lower middle-market companies across a variety of industries. Previously, Don served as a senior member of the U.S. private investment team of Investcorp International and its affiliates. Overall, Don has 28 years of experience investing in, advising and working with private middle-market companies. In his new role at BBH, Don will co-manage, along with Jeff Price, a private equity strategy providing highly customized investments to lower middle-market companies looking for a strategic partner to help them grow.
"I am delighted to be part of the BBH family," said Don. "BBH has an outstanding track record in private equity investing, and I have known and admired the firm, its people and its culture for many years. We have successfully co-invested together in the past, so I know BBH provides a highly differentiated approach to lower middle-market private investing. I believe this approach makes BBH a preferred partner for founders, owners and senior management of middle-market companies because we provide deep expertise and flexible, patient capital to help them grow their businesses."
"We are excited to have attracted two investment professionals of Suzanne's and Don's caliber to join our investment team at BBH," said Jeff Meskin. "Importantly, they have proven track records of excellence and share our differentiated approach to investing and capital allocation, and they value the same tenets of capital preservation that have been the cornerstone of our investment philosophy for generations."