At Ariel, we understand that it takes more than excellent performance to win the race – it also requires outstanding service. We strive to provide both to each and every client, big or small. This means that as hard as we work to uncover value in our investment process, we are equally determined to deliver value through superior, individualized service.
Ariel’s manageable client roster certainly plays a role in our superior service; it enables clients to receive the personal attention they deserve.
Our clients deserve to fully understand the reasons behind our investment decisions – that’s true for institutional clients and mutual fund investors alike. We provide monthly and/or quarterly performance results and unique market reports on a quarterly basis. In addition, we make ourselves available to meet with institutional clients to discuss our investment strategies as frequently as requested.
Perhaps the greatest advantage to our client stems from the fact that each and every Ariel employee holds a financial stake in our firm. Moreover, by investing the majority of our own savings, profit sharing, and retirement dollars in both our firm and our mutual funds, our personal financial success is squarely aligned with that of our clients.
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Mellody Hobson
President
Ariel Investments
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Ariel Investment Trust
Mellody is responsible for firm-wide management and strategic planning, overseeing all operations outside of research and portfolio management. Additionally, she serves as chairman of the board of trustees for Ariel Investment Trust. Beyond her work at Ariel, Mellody has become a nationally recognized voice on financial literacy and investor education. Specifically, she is a regular financial contributor on Good Morning America, the featured consumer finance expert on Tom Joyner’s Money Mondays radio program and a regular columnist for Black Enterprise. In addition, she is a spokesperson for the 2009 Ariel/Hewitt Study: 401(k) Plans in Living Color and the Ariel/Schwab Black Investor Survey, both of which examine investing patterns among minorities. Mellody is a director of three public companies: DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., Estée Lauder Companies, Inc. and Starbucks Corporation. In addition, she serves on the boards of various civic organizations including the Chicago Public Library and its foundation, The Field Museum, The Chicago Public Education Fund and the Sundance Institute. She is also on the board of governors of the Investment Company Institute. Mellody earned her AB degree from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of International Relations and Public Policy. She also received an honorary doctorate degree in humanities from Howard University.
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Krista Rivers, CFP®
Senior Vice President
Director, Institutional Marketing & Client Services
Krista directs Ariel’s institutional distribution efforts, including pension plans, defined contribution plans, consultants, financial advisors and third party relationships. She also oversees the client servicing and marketing in these channels. Krista joined the firm in 1993, and during her tenure at Ariel she has worked in nearly all facets of the company. She started Ariel’s advisory services line of business in 1998 and steered its development until October 2005, when she was tapped to lead all institutional distribution. Krista is a founding board member of the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association. She graduated from Ohio University with a BA in business administration and holds a Certified Financial Planner designation.
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Roopa Weber
Senior Vice President
Institutional Marketing & Client Services
Roopa oversees the day-to-day operations of our institutional client servicing team, which handles client and consultant reporting, new business proposals, contracts, board reports and marketing materials. She also serves as a client liaison for our institutional portfolios. Prior to joining Ariel in 1997, she worked in the non-profit arena for a Chicago-based fundraising consulting firm and at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Roopa serves on the advisory boards of the Gene Siskel Film Center and the River North Chicago Dance Company and is a member of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Fashion Committee. She graduated with honors in her double major from Lake Forest College where she obtained a BA in French and psychology.
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Gary L. Rozier
Senior Vice President
Institutional Marketing & Client Services Gary is responsible for business development and client servicing for Ariel’s institutional and advisor accounts across the West Coast. Prior to joining the firm in 2006, Gary spent five years with Rydex Investments. He held multiple positions within shareholder services and financial advisor sales before being promoted to regional vice president where he oversaw product development and distribution across nine states in the Midwest region. Gary is a frequent conference speaker for the Financial Planning Association and the National Association of Active Investment Managers. Additionally, he is a trustee for Chicago State University and a committee member for the East Bay Regional Parks Foundation. He earned a BA in economics from the University of Maryland.
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Patrice L. Scelzo
Vice President
Institutional Marketing & Client Services
Patrice plays an integral role with our client and consultant relationships, and her scope of responsibilities extends across multiple facets of our internal client servicing efforts. Specifically, she directly serves our clients by completing standardized and ad hoc reports and oversees our consulting reporting and Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Prior to joining the firm in 1999, she worked as a quality service assistant for Northwest Airlines. Patrice is an associate board member of Gilda’s Club Chicago and earned a BA in international business-Spanish intensive from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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Malik Murray
Vice President
Institutional Marketing & Client Service Malik works on Ariel’s business development and client servicing efforts across the Eastern Region. He joined the firm in 2004 as a senior associate with the firm’s Advisory Services Team. Previously, Malik spent eight years with Bank One Brokerage, most recently serving as the lead broker on the European Shift for their International Exchange Traded Products Group. Outside of Ariel, Malik serves on the school boards of the Ariel Community Academy and the St. Philip Neri School. He is also a director for the Chicago Minority Business Development Council and a member of the National Association of Securities Professionals. Malik earned a BA in finance from DePaul University and an MBA from DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.
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