William von Mueffling

Mueffling was born in Munich to a German investment-banker father, William Freiherr von Mueffling, and an American mother, Marsha Millard, who met as students at Columbia University.{{Cite news|date=1992-08-30|title=WEDDINGS; Ms. von Mueffling, Mr. Esposito|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/30/style/weddings-ms-von-mueffling-mr-esposito.html|access-date=2021-09-19|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news|date=1964-06-07|title=Marsha Millard Is Married To Baron William von Muffling|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/06/07/archives/marsha-millard-is-married-to-baron-william-von-muffling.html|access-date=2021-09-19|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news|date=1964-03-08|title=Baron Is the Fiance Of Marsha Millard|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/08/archives/baron-is-the-fiance-of-marsha-millard.html|access-date=2021-09-19|issn=0362-4331}} His paternal family is descended from German nobility, and his maternal grandfather, Mark Millard, was a senior managing director and a member of the board of directors of Shearson/American Express. His father died when he was a toddler, and his mother moved William and his siblings to New York. He attended The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut.{{Cite web |title=Hotchkiss Magazine Fall 2013 by The Hotchkiss School - Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/thehotchkissschool/docs/fall13_magazine_web |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=issuu.com |date=19 November 2013 |language=en}} He then attended Columbia University, earning his B.A. in 1990 and M.B.A. from Columbia Business School in 1995.{{Cite news|last=Strasburg|first=Jenny|date=2010-10-31|title=A Hedge-Fund Manager's New Groove|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704865104575588762371451520|access-date=2021-09-19|issn=0099-9660}}

Von Mueffling worked for Deutsche Bank in France before joining Lazard, where he became a managing director at Lazard Asset Management and gained fame as an investor in his early 30s by shorting technology stocks, posting average annual returns of more than 30% from 1998 to 2003. He was called a "Wunderkind" by Forbes and "alpha male" by the Economist for his stellar performance.{{Cite web|title=Wunderkind|url=https://www.forbes.com/global/2000/1002/0319070a.html|access-date=2021-09-19|website=Forbes|language=en}}{{Cite news|date=2003-04-03|title=Alpha males|newspaper=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2003/04/03/alpha-males|access-date=2021-09-19|issn=0013-0613}}

After a dispute with Lazard's chief executive Bruce Wasserstein over compensation,{{Cite web|date=2003-08-25|title=Five years on from the hedge of disaster|url=http://www.theguardian.com/business/2003/aug/26/2|access-date=2021-09-19|website=the Guardian|language=en}}{{Cite news|title=Chaos at Lazard as 'greedy' hedge fund millionaires quit|newspaper=The Times |language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/chaos-at-lazard-as-greedy-hedge-fund-millionaires-quit-7bfk0pg5l2g|access-date=2021-09-19|issn=0140-0460}} he left in 2003 to start his own hedge fund, Cantillon Capital Management.{{Cite web|date=2019-03-20|title=William A. von Mueffling '95|url=https://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/about-us/board-overseers/william-von-mueffling|access-date=2021-09-19|website=Columbia Business School|language=en}} As a result of his departure, Lazard's hedge fund business suffered a devastating loss of $3 billion, as many of its investors followed von Mueffling to the new firm.{{Cite web|title=Lesson Learned|url=https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b150nsjgrqf8mw/lesson-learned|access-date=2021-09-19|website=Institutional Investor|date=15 October 2006 |language=en-gb}}

In 2007, he was named one of New York magazine's "hedge-fund elite" along with the likes of Chase Coleman, Peter Thiel and Eric Mindich.{{Cite web|title=A Guide to the Hedge-Fund Elite -- New York Magazine - Nymag|url=https://nymag.com/news/features/2007/hedgefunds/30342/|access-date=2021-09-19|website=New York Magazine|date=6 April 2007 |language=en-us}} Between 2006 and 2008, he was named one of Institutional investor's 25 top-earning hedge fund managers in the industry.{{Cite news|last=Herbst-Bayliss|first=Svea|date=2009-06-18|title=Cantillon's von Mueffling exits hedge fund industry|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/cantillon-idINN1839106920090618|access-date=2021-09-19}}{{Cite web|title=Top hedge fund manager had take-home pay of $1.5 billion in 2005 on 5% fee and 44% of gains|url=http://www.finfacts.ie/irelandbusinessnews/publish/printer_1000article_10005996.shtml|access-date=2021-09-19|website=www.finfacts.ie}}{{Cite web|title=17 William von Mueffling|url=https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b18bl3dv4m5cny/17-william-von-mueffling|access-date=2021-09-19|website=Institutional Investor|date=15 April 2008 |language=en-gb}}

Mueffling closed his hedge fund in 2009 and returned $3.5 billion to investors, and switched to a long-only strategy by retaining $1 billion in long-only assets.{{Cite web|title=Cantillon Closing: William von Mueffling's Hedge Fund Converting to Long Only ~ market folly|url=https://www.marketfolly.com/2009/06/cantillon-closing-william-von.html|access-date=2021-09-19|website=www.marketfolly.com}} His investment firm has an AUM of nearly $15 billion, as of September 2021.{{Cite web|title=William Von Mueffling - Cantillon Capital Management - 2021 13F Holdings, Performance, and AUM - Insider Monkey|url=https://www.insidermonkey.com/hedge-fund/cantillon+capital+management/65/|access-date=2021-09-19|website=www.insidermonkey.com}}

He executive produced the 2015 documentary film Racing Extinction about the ongoing Holocene extinction and the 2019 documentary film Slay the Dragon about gerrymandering in the United States.{{Cite web|last=Boucher|first=Geoff|date=2019-06-28|title='Slay The Dragon': 'RGB' Distributor Magnolia Acquires Participant Media's Gerrymandering Doc As Supreme Court Rules|url=https://deadline.com/2019/06/gerrymandering-supreme-court-film-slay-the-dragon-doc-magnolia-pictures-participant-media-tribeca-1202639690/|access-date=2021-09-19|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2020-04-07|title=Betting on the Long Shot in Politics and Storytelling|url=https://nonfics.com/slay-the-dragon-ending/|access-date=2021-09-19|website=Nonfics|language=en-US}} He also helped launch whosontheballot.org, a website that provides one-stop comprehensive guide for all things related to voting in New York City.{{Cite web|date=2012-10-24|title=Who's On The Ballot? Website Seeks To Fully Inform The Low-Information Voter|url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/whos-on-the-ballot-website-seeks-to-fully-inform-the-low-information-voter/|access-date=2021-09-19|website=Mediaite|language=en}}

Mueffling sits on Columbia Business School's board of overseers. In 2007, he served on The President's Working Group on Financial Markets, where he was named to the Asset Manager's committee and helped draw up guidelines for best practices in the hedge fund industry.{{Cite web|title=PWG Announces Private Sector Groups to Address Market Issues for Private Pools of Capital|url=https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/hp575|access-date=2021-09-19|website=U.S. Department of the Treasury|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Duo to draw up best practice for hedge funds|url=https://www.ft.com/content/27737d02-6bbf-11dc-863b-0000779fd2ac|access-date=2021-09-19|website=Financial Times}}

Mueffling serves as an advisor to the litigation funding startup Legalist.{{Cite web|title=William von Mueffling · Legalist|url=https://www.legalist.com/team/william-von-mueffling|access-date=2021-10-15|website=www.legalist.com}}{{Cite news|date=2020-09-18|title=Litigation funder Legalist brings on ex-judge to replace Posner as adviser|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/litigation-funder-legalist-brings-on-ex-idUSL1N2GF29G|access-date=2021-10-15}}

Von Mueffling is married to Clémence von Mueffling, an author and beauty expert whose mother,{{Cite news|last=Molvar|first=Kari|date=2016-04-18|title=A Parisian Editor's Best Natural Beauty Advice for Spring|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/t-magazine/fashion/natural-beauty-advice-spring.html|access-date=2021-09-19|issn=0362-4331}} Lorraine Bolloré, and grandmother, Régine Debrise, were both beauty editors of Vogue Paris.{{Cite news|last=Smith|first=Julia Llewellyn|title=Clémence von Mueffling shows why French women don't lose their looks|newspaper=The Times |language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/clemence-von-mueffling-shows-why-french-women-dont-lose-their-looks-lgwgg5jvz|access-date=2021-09-19|issn=0140-0460}}{{Cite web|last=Thomas|first=Ellen|date=2018-04-16|title=Ageless Beauty the French Way: Clémence von Mueffling Shares Secrets From Three Generations of Beauty Editors|url=https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/beauty-features/gallery/ageless-beauty-the-french-way-clemence-von-mueffling-shares-secrets-from-three-generations-of-beauty-editors-1202651597/|access-date=2021-09-19|website=WWD|language=en-US}} She is a relative of French businessman Vincent Bolloré, CEO of the eponymous conglomerate Bolloré SE.{{Cite web|last=Gourdon|first=Jessica|date=2014-05-02|title=Clémence Von Mueffling lance son magazine beau et bio|url=https://frenchmorning.com/clemence-bollore-von-mueffling-lance-son-magazine-beaute/|access-date=2021-09-19|website=French Morning US|language=fr-FR}} He maintains a residence at 810 Fifth Avenue.{{Cite news|last=Lewis|first=Christina S. N.|date=2007-08-04|title=Rudin Sells Retreat|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118610920606187071|access-date=2021-09-19|issn=0099-9660}}

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Category:Living people

Category:American hedge fund managers

Category:American investors

Category:Hotchkiss School alumni

Category:Columbia College (New York) alumni

Category:Columbia Business School alumni

Category:American people of German descent

Category:Mass media people from Munich

Category:Deutsche Bank people

Category:American film producers

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)