Julian Robertson
Julian Robertson was a high profile hedge fund manager and legendary investor best known for founding Tiger Management in 1980, which grew to be one of the most prominent hedge funds of its generation. Robertson was a superstar trader who helped pioneer the modern day hedge fund industry. During the 1980s and the early 90s, he was often referred to as the “Father of Hedge Funds” and the “Wizard of Wall Street.” In 2000, Robertson went on to train and mentor several generations of prominent fund managers known as Tiger Cub. Many of his proteges became successful hedge fund managers today. Robertson was also known as one of the nation’s top philanthropists. He gave away $1.3 billion to such causes as medical research, charter schools and environmental protection. Julian Robertson died on August 23, 2022, at the age of 90, at his home in New York.
Julian Robertson Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Founder and CEO
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CEO of Asset Management
Academic History
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B.S., Business Administration
ABOUT JULIAN ROBERTSON
A titan of industry, Robertson made a lasting impact on the business world.
He was a hedge fund pioneer, a tremendous mentor and a generous philanthropist.
He built one of the most successful hedge funds of the late 20th century, Tiger Management, and seeded many of his proteges’ firms along the way.
Tiger was one of the world’s largest hedge funds with capital of more than $23 billion.
Another of his feats as an investor is the incredible 80% return in a single year, in 1993, thanks to a very successful bond deal.
By 1996, Tiger Management's initial capital had become $7.2 billion, and by 1998 Tiger’s total assets were valued at $22.8 billion.
In 1987, he was one of the few who foresaw the stock market crash and promptly traded his U.S. stocks for foreign securities, thus circumventing Black Monday.
TIGER CUBS
He closed his fund in 2000 and went on to manage his own book and seed several funds started by his disciples, dubbed Tiger Cubs and Tiger Seeds.
Tiger Cubs is a cadre of analysts and portfolio managers who have become some of today’s most successful hedge fund managers.
Some of his proteges include Chase Coleman's Tiger Global, Lee Ainslie's Maverick Capital, Andreas Halvorsen's Viking Global, and Philippe Laffont's Coatue Management.
After launching Tiger Management, he made a name for himself for his keen investment and money management acumen.
He employed a long-short strategy designed to profit from the performance gap between his picks for the best and worst stocks.
EARLY CAREER
Following two years in the Navy, Robertson joined the New York office of Kidder, Peabody, & Co. as a retail broker in 1957.
He climbed the firm’s ranks and eventually took the helm of its asset management division, known as Webster Securities.
He eventually became CEO of its asset management arm, Webster Securities. In 1978, Robertson and his family spent time in New Zealand, where he created three major resorts.