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The Climb to Investment Excellence by Ana Marshall

The Climb to Investment Excellence

A Practitioner’s Guide to Building Exceptional Portfolios and Teams

Ana Marshall, CFA

In The Climb to Investment Excellence: A Practitioner’s Guide to Building Exceptional Portfolios and Teams, celebrated institutional investor and asset allocator Ana Marshall draws on her 36 years’ experience in finance and investment to deliver a comprehensive and practical blueprint for a resilient and high-performing institutional portfolio, as well as a reliable roadmap for the management of its stakeholders.

Endorsements

“Ana Marshall has written a thought-provoking handbook for investment managers. Required reading for all CIOs.”

Paul Singer, Founder and Co-CEO Elliott Management

“This book provides a well-constructed recipe for managing large sums of capital, from setting a cohesive strategy, to implementing a well-defined investment program, managing risk, and motivating teams to endure market downturns and excel over the long term.“

Doug Leone, Sequoia Capital

“Ana Marshall is one of the world’s leading CIOs.  She deeply understands that successful investing is both an art and a science that requires excellence in both intellect and intuition. In this book she expertly passes on the wisdom gained during an exemplary career as the CIO of the Hewlett Foundation.”

– Sir Christopher Hohn, CEO and Founder TCI

“In The Climb to Investment Excellence, Ana Marshall provides a comprehensive behind the scenes look at modern day endowment management.  She offers a unique perspective derived from decades of investment experience combined with the judgment that comes from a skilled practitioner and introspective and wise leader.  This is a must-read for every financial market participant.“

- Seth A. Klarman, CEO & Portfolio Manager, The Baupost Group 

“A clear and practical roadmap for the next generation of fiduciaries and investors.”

- Marc Andreessen, Co-Founder and General Partner Andreessen Horowitz

“Investing is all about spending quality time with quality people, and Ana Marshall personifies this principle.  Any fiduciary would benefit from the experience and wisdom Ana shares in her book.”

– Lei Zhang, Founder and CEO Hillhouse Capital

Ana demystifies long-term investing by sharing both her direct experience and the intelligence she has gathered over the last 20 years as a successful practitioner. This book is essential reading for anyone involved in a voluntary or professional basis managing long term pools of capital. There is a chapter for everyone: trustees, board / committee members, fellow CIOs and their team members. Also highly recommended reading for General Partners and investment managers who manage non-profit money, it provides deep insight into the governance and investment practices of their investors enabling both to build stronger partnerships.

- Sandra Robertson, CEO and CIO Oxford University Endowment Management

“This is ‘must read’ book for investment committee and board members responsible for overseeing large sums of capital and setting the standards to achieve excellence. Very few investment professionals have been as thoughtful about the investment process as Ana.  Add to that her innate ability to join the dots from disparate pieces of information and data, and you have the winning performance she has demonstrated.”

– Boon Hwee Koh, Board Member GIC and Singapore Stock Exchange

“Ana Marshall’s book is required reading for anyone managing money or anyone looking to learn how to become an excellent investor — or simply looking to be inspired by the idea of investing well and doing good with it. Ana does a great job in distilling complex subjects into actionable decisions, as well as provide valuable insights on themes not normally covered well in books on investing — the importance of relationships with boards, committees, investment managers, and her team cannot be understated.”

- James Manyika, SVP Google-Alphabet, Chair and director emeritus, McKinsey Global Institute.

“Institutional pools of capital are among the least understood and most important investment pools in the world. After nearly four decades in the trenches, half as a direct investor and half on the buy side of the buy side, Ana deeply understands the investment process employed by institutional Chief Investment Officers.  In The Climb to Investment Excellence, she shares both the building blocks of how it all works and her unique insights into each aspect of the process. Her work is a must read for those seeking to understand how this opaque corner of the investment world operates.”

- Ted Seides, Capital Allocators



About Ana

Ana Marshall is Chief Investment Officer for the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. She manages a $13 billion investment portfolio and has over 36 years of experience as an institutional investor and allocator. Ana co-teaches a course on asset allocation and portfolio management at Stanford Graduate School of Business.