Omar Selim: Building a Values-Based Asset Management Firm (A)

George  Serafeim; Rebecca   Henderson; Shannon  Gombos

Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2015 (Revised September 2017)

Omar Selim: Building a Values-Based Asset Management Firm (A)

by George Serafeim, Rebecca Henderson and Shannon Gombos

Abstract

At Barclays Capital, Omar Selim had spearheaded the development of Arabesque—a new socially responsible asset management firm designed to appeal to all investors wishing to invest according to broadly held environmental and social values, as well as to investors wishing to align their investments with their faith. Should Selim give up a very successful career to compete in a highly competitive business, in which it could be very hard to build a differentiated offering? Could Arabesque be something different in the world of asset management? And what role, if any, should values and religious faith play in shaping the firm's products and conduct?

Keywords: sustainability; ESG; social business; social entrepreneurship; social enterprise; entrepreneurs; scaling; emerging market entrepreneurship; not for profit; entrepreneurial finance; mentoring; business networks; hybrid nonprofit funding; Investing; investment management; Asset Management; Values and Beliefs; Religion; Personal Development and Career; Business Startups; Social Enterprise;

Language: English

Format: Print

17 pages

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Citation:

Serafeim, George, Rebecca Henderson, and Shannon Gombos. "Omar Selim: Building a Values-Based Asset Management Firm (A)." Harvard Business School Case 115-021, January 2015. (Revised September 2017.)

Related Work

Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2015 (Revised September 2017)

Omar Selim: Building a Values-Based Asset Management Firm (A)

George Serafeim, Rebecca Henderson, Shannon Gombos, George Serafeim, Rebecca Henderson and Shannon Gombos

At Barclays Capital, Omar Selim had spearheaded the development of Arabesque—a new socially responsible asset management firm designed to appeal to all investors wishing to invest according to broadly held environmental and social values, as well as to investors wishing to align their investments with their faith. Should Selim give up a very successful career to compete in a highly competitive business, in which it could be very hard to build a differentiated offering? Could Arabesque be something different in the world of asset management? And what role, if any, should values and religious faith play in shaping the firm's products and conduct?

Keywords: sustainability; ESG; social business; social entrepreneurship; social enterprise; entrepreneurs; scaling; emerging market entrepreneurship; not for profit; entrepreneurial finance; mentoring; business networks; hybrid nonprofit funding; Investing; investment management; Asset Management; Values and Beliefs; Religion; Personal Development and Career; Business Startups; Social Enterprise;

Citation:
Serafeim, George, Rebecca Henderson, and Shannon Gombos. "Omar Selim: Building a Values-Based Asset Management Firm (A)." Harvard Business School Case 115-021, January 2015. (Revised September 2017.) View Details

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Supplement | HBS Case Collection | February 2015 (Revised September 2017)

Omar Selim: Building a Values-Based Asset Management Firm (B)

George Serafeim, Rebecca Henderson and Shannon Gombos

The case describes the decision of Omar Selim to set up Arabesque as an independent organization and how he organized Arabesque to use both financial and environmental, social and governance (ESG) data in order to deliver performance for its clients.

Keywords: social enterprise; social entrepreneurship; Investing; investment management; ESG; sustainability; investment banking; leadership; Leadership & Corporate Accountability; Leadership Style; Business Model; Asset Management; Business Startups; Social Enterprise;

Citation:
Serafeim, George, Rebecca Henderson, and Shannon Gombos. "Omar Selim: Building a Values-Based Asset Management Firm (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 115-035, February 2015. (Revised September 2017.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | January 2017 (Revised February 2017)

Omar Selim: Building a Values-Based Asset Management Firm (A) and (B)

George Serafeim and David Freiberg

Citation:
Serafeim, George, and David Freiberg. "Omar Selim: Building a Values-Based Asset Management Firm (A) and (B)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 117-011, January 2017. (Revised February 2017.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2015 (Revised September 2017)

Omar Selim: Building a Values-Based Asset Management Firm (A)

George Serafeim, Rebecca Henderson, Shannon Gombos, George Serafeim, Rebecca Henderson and Shannon Gombos

At Barclays Capital, Omar Selim had spearheaded the development of Arabesque—a new socially responsible asset management firm designed to appeal to all investors wishing to invest according to broadly held environmental and social values, as well as to investors wishing to align their investments with their faith. Should Selim give up a very successful career to compete in a highly competitive business, in which it could be very hard to build a differentiated offering? Could Arabesque be something different in the world of asset management? And what role, if any, should values and religious faith play in shaping the firm's products and conduct?

Keywords: sustainability; ESG; social business; social entrepreneurship; social enterprise; entrepreneurs; scaling; emerging market entrepreneurship; not for profit; entrepreneurial finance; mentoring; business networks; hybrid nonprofit funding; Investing; investment management; Asset Management; Values and Beliefs; Religion; Personal Development and Career; Business Startups; Social Enterprise;

Citation:
Serafeim, George, Rebecca Henderson, and Shannon Gombos. "Omar Selim: Building a Values-Based Asset Management Firm (A)." Harvard Business School Case 115-021, January 2015. (Revised September 2017.) View Details

Cite View Details Educators Purchase Related

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Omar Selim: Building a Values-Based Asset Management Firm (A)

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