Member Profile: Bruce Richards, CEO, Chairman & Co-Founder, Marathon Asset Management, L.P.

Bruce Richards, Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of Marathon Asset Management, L.P., co-founded the firm in 1998 on core principles that embody a culture of integrity, intelligence, discipline, dedication and team work with the goal of creating value for the firm’s investors.

About Bloomberg Breakaway Membership

Biography

Bruce Richards is Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of Marathon Asset Management, L.P. Mr. Richards leads Marathon’s Executive Committee, a team of senior professionals, as well as Marathon’s Investment Committee, responsible for approving principal investments. With $16 billion AUM, Mr. Richards collaborates with Marathon’s clients while managing the firm and overseeing its business lines. Marathon’s core focus is investing capital and managing risk in the global capital markets, including the public and private credit markets. Marathon’s opportunistic asset allocation model is dynamically constructed and methodically implemented to deliver a highly diversified portfolio of credit opportunities in the public and private credit markets. Marathon’s 165 professionals located in New York (headquarters), London, and Singapore strive to deliver alpha to the firm’s diverse and sophisticated client base while preserving transparency and best practices. A UN PRI signatory since 2017, the firm’s ESG Policy reflects its dedication to investing responsibly with a culture to foster an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Prior to founding Marathon, Mr. Richards worked on Wall Street for 15 years, including 10 years as a Managing Director in the fixed income divisions of Smith Barney and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette where he was head of a trading desk responsible for principal investments and market making.  Mr. Richards has demonstrated a strong commitment to philanthropy and was the recipient of Help for Children | Hedge Fund Cares’ Award for Caring in 2014 and the CFA Society’s Humanitarian Award in 2017. He has also been honored by the UJA Federation of New York and HELP USA, and was the recipient of the Boomer Esiason Foundation’s Most Valuable Player Award and the R Baby Foundation’s Philanthropic Leadership Award. Mr. Richards serves on the boards of The University System of Maryland (USM) Foundation. Mr. Richards received his B.A. in Economics, summa cum laude, from Tulane University (1982) and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Q&A

What defines a successful leader?

Unwavering commitment to excellence, well-thought-out business plan, continuously updated and flexible, ability to recruit and retain top talent, always lead by example, delegate to most capable team members.

Culture and talent are important to any company’s success. How do you engage and inspire your workforce?

Through a culture of success based on integrity, hard work, and excellence.

Innovation and disruption are reshaping industries every day. What do you see as the number one game-changer facing businesses today?

Capital expense, substantial investment in technology, alignment with our clients, and objective to lower fees/cost structure, while partnering well.

Challenges abound in today’s fast-changing business environment. What keeps you up at night?

Most risks can be evaluated and managed. It’s the unforeseen black swan that suddenly appears that may lead to a future sleepless night.

Why did you join Bloomberg Breakaway?
To interact and gain the perspectives of other leaders with years of experience in their respective industries.

Even CEOs need downtime. How do you recharge?

A rigorous game of tennis followed by a good night of sleep.

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