Overview
Summit Rock was co-founded in 2007 by David Dechman, the Chief Executive Officer, and Nancy Donohue, the
Chief Investment Strategist. Mr. Dechman and Ms. Donohue remain Summit Rock’s principal owners.
Summit Rock is an independent advisory firm that provides financial advice and portfolio management for a select
number of U.S. based families and charitable institutions (each, a “Client” and collectively, the “Clients”). Clients
typically have minimum wealth in excess of $100 million. Currently, the average client size at Summit Rock is
approximately $435 million. Summit Rock functions as its Clients’ outsourced investment office providing
independent, customized advice.
Although all Clients benefit from shared resources, each situation is unique. Summit Rock’s approach is to work with
each Client to understand that Client’s complete financial picture in a holistic manner and then mutually agree with
the Client on a portfolio management plan. The investment program is customized for each Client and will incorporate
a selection of managers Summit Rock believes are the most talented across a wide universe of choices, encompassing
various sectors of the market, geographies, and liquidity spectrums.
Summit Rock creates a structured process which prioritizes and addresses the most important issues for each Client.
Summit Rock’s investment philosophy aims to preserve capital, reduce volatility, and increase long-term purchasing
power. Summit Rock’s approach includes the following:
Asset allocation with broad asset class diversification
Access to investment managers
Due diligence
Liquidity management
Investment implementation advice and support
Integration of legal, governance, and other factors that impact financial results
Summit Rock also serves as the investment manager to privately offered pooled investment vehicles (the “SRA
Portfolios”) that are generally made available only to Summit Rock Clients.
Based on the portfolio management plan
designed by Summit Rock and each Client, Summit Rock will advise the Client to invest in one or more of the SRA
Portfolios, each of which has a specific investment objective, and Directly Held Assets (as defined below). As a result,
a Client will typically be invested through the SRA Portfolios across an array of asset classes with investment
management teams that Summit Rock believes are top tier in their sectors. Through the SRA Portfolios, Summit Rock
will seek to achieve several important benefits for Clients, including diversification, access to top-tier investment
managers, streamlined operations, and consolidated performance, financial, and tax reporting.
As of December 31, 2023, Summit Rock provides investment advice for approximately $21.5 billion of assets under
supervision. Of this amount, approximately $12 billion of assets were invested in the SRA Portfolios. Summit Rock
makes the investment decisions for these assets, and such assets are referred to as being managed on a discretionary
basis. Clients typically must establish a Private Equity Reserves Account to fund capital commitments to certain SRA
Portfolios. These are also managed on a discretionary basis and total approximately $164 million in assets as of
December 31, 2023. Summit Rock also provides non-discretionary investment advice to Clients on approximately
$9.3 billion in assets, which are not invested in the SRA Portfolios or the Private Equity Reserves Accounts and are
held in a Client’s name (the “Directly Held Assets”). The Clients are solely responsible for acting on any investment
advice given by Summit Rock relating to the Directly Held Assets, and such Directly Held Assets are advised on a
non-discretionary basis; provided that with respect to certain types of Directly Held Assets, Summit Rock routinely
establishes and helps facilitate direct relationships on behalf of a Client with one or more third-party asset managers.