What It Does: Baillie Gifford specialises in investment management, risk analysis, settlements, performance analysis, corporate legal services, internal audits, client service & marketing, investment trust, facilities management, and so many more.
Mission: Baillie Gifford’s mission statement is to be excellent in every level of client service and be regarded as a reliable advisor and partner.
Size and Presence: Baillie Gifford’s workforce in the UK comprises more than 1,600 employees across its offices in London (branch office) and Edinburgh (head office).
Best Known For: This company is one of the best investment managers in the UK, with an AUM worth hundreds of billions of pounds sterling. The company's service portfolio is expansive and cuts across several industries. Baillie Gifford is best known as a company whose owners are the firm’s partners, a rare but not unheard form of company ownership.
The Good Bits: There are promising career prospects for freshers and interns. Baillie Gifford takes employees’ well-being seriously and ensures there are several incentives for them to enjoy. The pay is competitive. The corporate culture is healthy.
The Not-So-Good Bits: N/A.
In 1907, Colonel Augustus Baillie and Carlyle Gifford established Baillie & Gifford WS as a joint partnership. The company was originally a law firm, but due to the financial climate then, it had to switch to the financial services industry the following year. In 1909, the firm established an investment trust to provide loans for rubber planters in Ceylon and Malaya. Soon after, the company created several other investment trusts. The company was not affected by the First World War, and it expanded in the 20s. In 1931, Baillie Gifford took over three companies. The company’s continual growth was halted by the breakout of the Second World War.
The company survived the war, and in the 90s, the worth of its assets under management was very valuable. The company revisited its leadership structure and modified it to accommodate joint senior partners. In 2008, Baillie Gifford had three offices globally and an AUM worth £50 billion. Its clientele included most of the largest pension funds in the US. The firm also hosts the Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction publications. In 2015, the company established an office in Hong Kong. Three years later, the company founded the Baillie Gifford US Growth Trust Fund. In early 2002, the firm became the biggest shareholder in Ginkgo Bioworks.
Baillie Gifford has an exciting workplace and a strong spirit of community and collaboration. The company encourages its employees to put on their creative hats and be vocal about their ideas, as they believe innovation will keep them at the top of the industry. The company sees its employees as humans and cares about them, so it ensures a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives. Baillie Gifford is also a hub of diversity where different ethnicities, perspectives, gender identities, and socioeconomic backgrounds are united by a common vision.
At Baillie Gifford, everyone has a chance to build an illustrious career. Its apprenticeship programme is targeted at young school leavers between the ages of 18 and 24. This programme is designed to help them gain work experience, skills, and educational qualifications while earning a salary. The company also provides internship opportunities in various areas of specialisation. Interns get to work on real tasks and projects and work hand-in-hand with some of the best minds in the industry. Fresh graduates are not left out of the largesse. This programme exposes new graduates to life at Baillie Gifford across various career fields and disciplines. Through mentoring and practical work experience, this programme transforms new graduates into highly employable professionals.
A fresher working at Baillie Gifford earns an average salary of £31,000.
Baillie Gifford offers grants to charitable organisations across the UK.
Baillie Gifford isn’t involved in any widely published controversy in the UK.