Richard Carson has joined Cambridge Associates as Director of Benchmark Services. He will oversee the ongoing expansion of the firm’s private investment benchmarks which currently include data from over 5,000 private partnerships with more than 65,000 underlying portfolio companies around the world. Mr. Carson will be based in Cambridge’s Boston office.
Cambridge’s benchmarks include the Cambridge Associates U.S. Private Equity Index, which is based on returns data compiled for U.S. private equity funds that represent the majority of institutional capital raised by private equity partnerships formed since 1986; and the Cambridge Associates U.S. Venture Capital Index which is based on data compiled on funds that represent the majority of institutional capital raised by U.S. venture capital partnerships formed since 1981.
“We are committed to continuing to invest in the quality of, and the due diligence and technology behind, our benchmarks and databases, which span more than 30 years of data collection. Rich’s significant experience at the intersection of strategy development, private equity and international business will help us ensure that our benchmarks continue to offer our clients, consultants and strategic partners the best possible tools to measure the performance of institutional-quality private investments,” said Cambridge Associates President and Chief Operating Officer Scott Berney.
Mr. Carson joins Cambridge from Monitor Group, a strategy consulting firm, which he joined in 1986. After ten years in Europe, he returned to the United States and joined Monitor’s private equity arm. He was most recently Managing Director at Monitor Capital, where he was responsible for leading the sourcing, qualification and development of all new firm-sponsored private equity funds and partnerships, with a particular focus on emerging markets such as Colombia, Brazil, the Middle East, Africa, India and China. Prior to Monitor Group, Mr. Carson was a Senior Consultant at Arthur Andersen’s Management Information Consulting Division. He holds a BA from Texas A&M and an MBA from Harvard.
“I believe the Cambridge Associates benchmarks are unique in their data integrity and breadth of asset class and geographic coverage, making the benchmarks a key resource to the industry,” said Mr. Carson. “It is also important to note that our benchmark data come from financial statements and information provided directly to us by investment managers as opposed to public sources, which can often be less reliable. Furthermore, the firm does not accept fees from managers to participate in the database. I am thrilled to be able to build on this valuable and truly differentiated asset. There are many exciting new things that we can do to leverage this information for the benefit of Cambridge’s consultants, client base and our many strategic partners in the private investments world.”
Cambridge Associates is a provider of investment advice and research to institutional investors and private clients worldwide. Today the firm serves over 900 global investors and delivers a range of services, including investment consulting, outsourced portfolio solutions, research services and tools, and performance monitoring, across all asset classes. Cambridge Associates was founded in 1973 and has more than 1,000 employees with offices in Arlington, VA; Boston; Dallas; Menlo Park; London; Singapore; Sydney; and Beijing (www.cambridgeassociates.com).
© 2012 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 11-12-12
