More Room to Grow, Innovate, and Disrupt! – Harbor Capital – 7.22.20

Summary:

Now On Demand.

Growth has performed exceptionally well over the last several years, and there is likely still room to run. Growth has provided downside protection in the last several major drawdowns, and valuations, while high, are significantly below levels seen at the end of the tech bubble. Fundamentals among growth companies are much stronger today than in the late 90s. However, clients risk taking a passive role in their strategic growth allocation. A thoughtful active management approach is needed given increased concentration risk of growth indices and the eventual return of stylistic headwinds. We believe these style headwinds can be mitigated through an active approach that targets innovators and disruptors, offers true idiosyncratic alpha, and can buck the trend through stock performance when growth is out of favor. Join Jeff Markarian, Managing Director, Harbor Capital Advisors; Will Muggia, President, CEO & CIO, Westfield Capital Management Company; and Matt Renna, Partner, Westfield Capital Management Company, for a robust discussion and actionable insights to help clients manage their strategic allocation to growth and potentially capitalize on disruption and innovation across sectors when growth is out of favor.

Speakers:

Will joined Westfield Capital Management in April 1994. In addition to his executive duties, he chairs the Investment Committee, serves as Market Strategist and contributes investment ideas primarily within the Health Care and Energy sectors. In 2001, Will was promoted to President and Chief Investment Officer and now oversees all of Westfield’s US equity and hedge fund strategies. In this role, Will and his team have grown the firm from $2 billion to $13 billion in assets under management. Prior to joining Westfield, Will worked in the Technology Investment Banking Group at Alex Brown & Sons, where his responsibilities included mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, and spin-offs. Before that, he was a Vice President at Kidder, Peabody & Company. Will graduated from Middlebury College in 1983 and received a Masters in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School in 1992. Will and his family are very active in community service, focusing their efforts on education for underprivileged youth. He is a member of the Board of Directors of SquashBusters and the Advisory Board of The Base.

Matthew joined Westfield Capital in 2013 as a member of the Investment Committee covering the Health Care sector. Previously he was with Vinik Asset Management as a Health Care Portfolio Manager. His professional experience also includes Director, SMID Growth Equity team at BlackRock, Inc., Senior Equity Analyst at RA Capital Management and Director, Healthcare/Biotechnology at Soleil Securities Corporation, Neponset Equity Research. Matthew began his career in the Health Care industry at Merck & Co., before entering equity research as a Senior Research Associate covering Specialty Pharmaceuticals at Leerink Swann LLC. Matthew earned a Master’s in Business Administration from The Carroll School of Management at Boston College and a Master’s of Science from Boston University. He earned his Bachelor of Science from Boston University where he graduated magna cum laude. In his free time, Matthew enjoys golf, reading and spending time with his wife and three young children.

Jeffery Markarian is a managing director at Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc. He is a member of the Investments group, which is responsible for the identification, evaluation, and selection of investment managers for the Harbor Funds and the Harbor Capital Group Trust. Prior to joining Harbor Capital Advisors, Jeff was a senior research consultant at NEPC, LLC. His responsibilities included serving as the lead research representative in Global, International, and Emerging Market equities. He earned a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Boston University.