Episode 3: Ian Prideaux - Formerly of Grosvenor - Investing for Success with the Ultimate Long Time Horizon

Alvine Capital Podcast

Ian Prideaux was Head of the Grosvenor family investment office for over 16 years until his retirement in 2022. Under his leadership he embarked upon a bold vision of diversification into alternative assets. He started his career in investment banking. Ian is a long-time friend of Alvine, and Tom and Aoifinn were keen to catch up with him in the aftermath of his retirement to look back at some of the highs and lows of working at such a unique investment entity as Grosvenor. Our conversation starts with a brief history lessons on the extraordinary origins of the investment pool, and the unique characteristics it held as such a major holder of real estate. This ultimately directed the investment of the balance, and Ian quite early on won the support of the investment committee to embark upon a bold strategy of diversifying the portfolio. Working alongside Cambridge Associates (which is where he and Aoifinn met) he embarked upon building a private equity and hedge fund portfolio and became a keen participant in manager meetings around the world. We learn about his schooling in the most complex of investment strategies, and how he matured as an institutional investor. We conclude with a look into his next phase - in which he has a portfolio career and is enjoying a separate set of interests. We hope you enjoy this joyful retrospective on a job very well done.