What sets us apart
Wellington CEO on its partnership with Vanguard
February 01, 2024
In this short video, Jean Hynes, chief executive officer of Wellington Management Company, highlights Wellington’s unique capabilities, its historic partnership with Vanguard, and how the two companies leverage each other’s strengths.
Video transcript:
Jean Hynes: Wellington has three unique edges that I think help us really serve the Vanguard owners over long periods of time. One would be our culture, the sharing that goes on, the debate that goes on about important topics of innovation, about geopolitics, about what's happening in the world. We all benefit from that ecosystem and that took really decades to build.
Culture has been really important since the first day I arrived at Wellington. And that's about a series of shared values, being very client focused, being very humble, being very focused on excellence. Those are just to name a few. Second is our ownership model. We're a private partnership and the most interesting thing about the private partnership is that it formed in 1979. And now it has scaled our size, it's scaled geography and it's also scaled successions. And then finally, I'll talk about our investment ecosystem. We have broad capabilities across equities, fixed income, hedge funds, and the most important part of that is that it's one ecosystem. It's not siloed across asset classes, it's not siloed across geographies.
Wellington and Vanguard have a very unique partnership that really goes back to the founding of both companies. The most interesting thing about the relationship is how we use each other's strengths. So Wellington really focuses on investment content. How do we create equity products, fixed income products for example? And my goal as CEO is to continue to strengthen the relationship between the senior leadership at Vanguard, the portfolio managers and so that we can be successful with Vanguard and Vanguard owners for the next 100 years.
Hynes emphasized the importance of a strong culture at Wellington, where shared values and open debate form a key part of the company’s approach. “One of our unique edges is our culture, including the sharing and debate about important topics of innovation, geopolitics, and what’s happening in the world,” she said. “We all benefit from this ecosystem that really took decades to build.”
The long-standing partnership between Wellington and Vanguard is a singular and beneficial aspect of both companies’ operations. Hynes noted that the partnership allows each company to focus on areas where it’s most effective.
“The most interesting thing about the relationship is how we use each other’s strengths,” she said. “And my goal as CEO is to continue to strengthen the relationship between the senior leadership at Vanguard and the portfolio managers, so that we can be successful with Vanguard and Vanguard owners for the next hundred years.”
Founded in 1928, Wellington has partnered with Vanguard to help manage many of our funds with expertise and care since we began operations in 1975.
Related links:
- Managing a legacy: 65 years of Windsor Fund (article, issued November 2023)
- How experts identify small-/mid-cap growth leaders (article, issued August 2023)
- Vanguard Wellington Fund’s sturdy roots run deep (portfolio manager Q&A, issued April 2023)
Notes:
For more information about Vanguard funds, visit vanguard.com to obtain a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information are contained in the prospectus; read and consider it carefully before investing.
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