Empowering Growth, Serving Clients with Integrity: Insights from Longfellow Investment Management

Rosemont Roundtable: Exploring the Business of Investment Management (Formerly Global Investment Leaders)

In this episode of the Global Investment Leaders podcast, Rosemont CEO Chas Burkhart is joined by Barbara McKenna, president of Longfellow Investment Management in Boston, MA. Longfellow is a $17+ billion firm* primarily focused on short-term and fixed-income strategies, with an equity-oriented approach. McKenna's leadership over the past 18 years has brought significant growth to the firm, expanded its core competencies and offerings, broadened employee ownership - all while maintaining an exceptionally-low client turnover rate. In the episode, McKenna details Longfellow’s investment-centric culture, driven by client success and supported by a broad employee ownership structure.

In terms of the macroeconomic landscape, Longfellow emphasizes bottom-line security selection, considers macro events' influence rather than predicting them and identifies risks associated with them.

“I truly believe that, as an active manager, the greatest success comes when we are a viewed as a partner and a solution provider, and that of course, includes seeking to deliver consistent above average, risk-adjusted, relative or absolute returns, but it really means focusing on listening to the needs of clients, having the ability to customize solutions,” McKenna said.

Specifically, McKenna and Burkhart discuss:

• Longfellow’s focus on short-term and fixed income strategies with an equity owner’s mindset.
• The expansion of Longfellow’s offerings over the years, incorporating core plus strategies and absolute return offerings to meet client needs and capture a broader range of opportunities.
• How the firm prioritizes cultural and philosophical fit when selecting strategies and aims to be a role model for change as a woman-majority-owned firm.
• Key aspects of McKenna’s leadership philosophy, how to attract and retain employees, and the importance of diverse perspectives and collaboration in the workplace.
• How Longfellow maintains its investment-centric culture and emphasizes client success
• Longfellow’s approach to the macroeconomic landscape, including bottom-line security selection and understanding the influence of macro events.

The episode concludes with McKenna’s take on the current economic environment, Fed hikes, rates and market volatility. Overall, the episode offers valuable insights into the factors that have fueled Longfellow's success and its unwavering dedication to serving clients with integrity and expertise.

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* Approximate AUM of Longfellow Investment Management at the time of recording.