GCMG · Read the filing

gcm-20201231

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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FORM 10-K

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(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

Commission file number 001-39716

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GCM Grosvenor Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

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(State of Incorporation) (IRS Employer Identification No.)

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

312-506-6500

Registrant's telephone number, including area code

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐No☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐No☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports); and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☐

Non-accelerated filer ☒ Smaller reporting company ☐

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The registrant was not a public company as of the last business day of its most recently completed second fiscal quarter and, therefore, cannot calculate the aggregate market value of its voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates as of such date. As of March 9, 2021, there were 41,603,993 shares of the registrant’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, outstanding and 144,235,246 shares of the registrant’s Class C common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None.

Table of Contents

Page

Part I

Item 1 Business 7

Item 1A Risk Factors 34

Item 1B Unresolved Staff Comments 70

Item 2 Properties 70

Item 3 Legal Proceedings 70

Item 4 Mine Safety Disclosures 70

Part II

Item 6 Selected Financial Data 72

Item 7A Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk 96

Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 98

Item 9A Controls and Procedures 138

Item 9B Other Information 138

Part III

Item 10 Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 139

Item 11 Executive Compensation 142

Item 14 Principal Accountant Fees and Services 158

Part IV

Item 15 Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 159

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, unless as the context requires otherwise, as used herein, references to “GCM,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our,” and similar references refer collectively to GCM Grosvenor Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to:

•“A&R LLLPA” are to the Fifth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Limited Partnership Agreement of GCMH;

•“AUM” are to assets under management;

•“Business Combination” or “Transaction” are to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Agreement;

•“Business Combination Lock-up Period” are to (a) with respect to the voting parties, the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the date that is the 3rd anniversary of the Closing Date and (b) with respect to the CF Sponsor, the period beginning on the Closing Date and ending on the date that is the 18th month anniversary of the Closing Date;

•“Bylaws” are to our Amended and Restated Bylaws;

•“CAGR” are to compound annual growth rate;

•“CFAC” are to CF Finance Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation;

•“CF Investor” are to CF GCM Investor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;

•“CF Sponsor” are to CF Finance Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;

•“Charter” are to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation;

•“Class C Share Voting Amount” are to the “Class C Share Voting Amount,” as such term is defined in our Charter, which is generally a number of votes per share equal to (1) (x) an amount of votes equal to 75% of the aggregate voting power of our outstanding capital stock (including for this purpose any Includible Shares), minus (y) the total voting power of our outstanding capital stock (other than the Class C common stock) owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the Key Holders (including any Includible Shares), divided by (2) the number of shares of Class C common stock then outstanding;

•“clients” are to persons who invest in our funds, even if such persons are not deemed clients of our registered investment adviser subsidiaries for purposes of the Investment Advisers Act 1940, as amended;

•“Closing” are to the consummation of the Business Combination;

•“Closing Date” are to November 17, 2020;

•“Code” are to the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;

•“Class A common stock” are to our Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share;

•“Class B common stock” are to our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share;

•“Class C common stock” are to our Class C common stock, par value $0.0001 per share;

•“FPAUM” are to fee-paying AUM;

•“GCM Companies” are to GCM LLC and GCMH;

•“GCMG” are to GCM Grosvenor Inc., which was incorporated in Delaware as a wholly owned subsidiary of Grosvenor Capital Management Holdings, LLLP, formed for the purpose of completing the Transaction. Pursuant to the Transaction, Grosvenor Capital Management Holdings, LLLP cancelled its shares in GCM Grosvenor Inc. no longer making GCM Grosvenor Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Grosvenor Capital Management Holdings, LLLP; “GCM Grosvenor” are to GCMH, its subsidiaries, and GCM, LLC;

•“GCM LLC” are to GCM, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company;

•“GCM private placement warrants” are to the warrants for Class A common stock (which are in identical form of private placement warrants but in the name of GCM Grosvenor Inc.);

•“GCM V” are to GCM V, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;

•“GCMH” are to Grosvenor Capital Management Holdings, LLLP, a Delaware limited liability limited partnership;

•“GCMH Consideration” refers to the consideration of $1.00 for the general partnership interest of GCMH plus $1,470,375 for the GCM Class B-1 common units previously held by GCMHGP LLC and paid by IntermediateCo to Holdings in connection with the Business Combination;

•“GCM Funds” and “our funds” are to GCM Grosvenor’s specialized funds and customized separate accounts;

•“GCMHGP LLC” are to GCMH GP, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company;

•“GCMH Equityholders” are to Holdings, Management LLC and Holdings II;

•“GCMLP” are to Grosvenor Capital Management, L.P., an Illinois limited partnership;

•“Grosvenor common units” are to units of partnership interests in GCMH entitling the holder thereof to the distributions, allocations, and other rights accorded to holders of partnership interests in GCMH following the Grosvenor Redomicile and LLLPA Amendment;

•“H&F Parties” are to HCFP VI AIV, L.P., H&F Chicago AIV I, L.P., and Hellman & Friedman Capital Executives VI, L.P;

•“Holdings” are to Grosvenor Holdings, L.L.C., an Illinois limited liability company;

•“Holdings II” are to Grosvenor Holdings II, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company;

•“Includible Shares” are to any shares of our voting stock issuable in connection with the exercise (assuming, solely for this purpose, full exercise and not net exercise) of all outstanding options, warrants, exchange rights, conversion rights or similar rights to receive voting stock of GCM Grosvenor Inc., in each case owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the Key Holders, but excluding the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable in connection with the exchange of Grosvenor common units, as a result of any redemption or direct exchange of Grosvenor common units effectuated pursuant the A&R LLLPA;

•“IntermediateCo” are to GCM Grosvenor Holdings, LLC (formerly known as CF Finance Intermediate Acquisition, LLC), a Delaware limited liability company;

•Key Holders” are to Michael J. Sacks, GCM V and the GCMH Equityholders;

•“lock-up shares” are to (a) with respect to the CF Sponsor, the shares of CFAC common stock held by the CF Sponsor on the Closing Date or received by CF Sponsor in connection with the Business Combination, any warrants to purchase shares of CFAC common stock held by the CF Sponsor on the Closing Date or received by CF Sponsor in connection with the Business Combination, and any shares of CFAC common stock issued to the CF Sponsor upon exercise of any such warrants to purchase CFAC common stock and (b) with respect to the voting parties, (i) the shares of our common stock received by the voting parties on the Closing Date, (ii) any shares of our common stock received by any voting party after the Closing Date pursuant to a direct exchange or redemption of Grosvenor common units held as of the Closing Date under the A&R LLLPA and (iii) the GCM private placement warrants held by the voting parties as of the Closing Date and any shares of our common stock issued to the voting parties upon exercise thereof;

•“Management LLC” are to GCM Grosvenor Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;

•“Mosaic” are to Mosaic Acquisitions 2020, L.P.;

•“Mosaic Transaction” are to a transaction, effective January 1, 2020, by which GCMH and its affiliates transferred certain indirect partnerships interests related to historical investment funds managed by GCMH and its affiliates to Mosaic;

•“NAV” are to net asset value;

•“Option Agreement” are to that certain Option Agreement, dated as of October 5, 2017, by and among Holdings and the H&F Parties;

•“Option Consideration” are to the consideration of $110,167,894.55, minus the purchase price payable to the H&F Parties by IntermediateCo under the Option Agreement;

•“Option Conveyance” are to the assignment, immediately following the Business Combination, by Holdings and assumption by IntermediateCo of all right, title and interest in and to the Option Agreement in exchange for the Option Consideration and the private placement of GCM warrants;

•“PIPE Investors” are to the qualified institutional buyers and accredited investors that agreed to purchase shares of Class A common stock in a private placement in connection with the execution of the Transaction Agreement and the Business Combination;

•“Registration Rights Agreement” are to that certain Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement to be entered into by and among us, the CF Sponsor, the GCMH Equityholders and the PIPE Investors;

•“Sponsor Support Agreement” are to that certain Sponsor Support Agreement, dated as of August 2, 2020, by and among the CF Sponsor, CFAC, GCMH and Holdings;

•“Stockholders’ Agreement” are to that certain Stockholders’ Agreement to be entered into by and among us, the GCMH Equityholders and GCM V;

•“Sunset Date” are to the date the GCMH Equityholders beneficially own a number of voting shares representing less than 20% of the number of shares of Class A common stock beneficially owned by the GCMH Equityholders immediately following the Closing Date (assuming, for this purpose, that all outstanding Grosvenor common units are and were exchanged at the applicable measurement time by the GCMH Equityholders for shares of Class A common stock in accordance with the A&R LLLPA and without regard to the lock-up or any other restriction on exchange);

•“Transaction Agreement” are to the definitive transaction agreement, dated as of August 2, 2020, by and among CFAC, IntermediateCo, the CF Sponsor, GCMH, the GCMH Equityholders, GCMHGP LLC, GCM V and us;

•“underlying funds” are to the investment vehicles managed by third-party investment managers in which GCM Funds invest;

•“voting party” are to GCM V and the GCMH Equityholders;

•“voting shares” are to our securities that are beneficially owned by a voting party that may be voted in the election of our directors, including any and all of our securities acquired and held in such capacity subsequent to the date of the Transaction Agreement; and

•“Warrant Agreement” are to that certain Warrant Agreement, dated as of December 12, 2018, between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and CFAC.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including, but not limited to, statements regarding our future results of operations or financial condition; business strategy and plans; market opportunity; and expectations regarding the impact of COVID-19 may be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “targets,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “forecasts,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K include, but are not limited to statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, industry and business trends, equity compensation, business strategy, plans, market growth and our objectives for future operations.

The forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are only current expectations and predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the important factors discussed in Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are based upon information available to us as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and have filed as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance and achievements may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

SUMMARY RISK FACTORS

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, that represent challenges that we face in connection with the successful implementation of our strategy and the growth of our business. In particular, the following considerations, among others, may offset our competitive strengths or have a negative effect on our business strategy, which could cause a decline in the price of shares of our Class A common stock or warrants:

•The historical performance of our funds should not be considered as indicative of the future results of our operations or any returns expected on an investment in our Class A common stock;

•Investors in our open-ended, specialized funds may generally redeem their investments in these funds on a periodic basis. Investors in most of our closed-ended, specialized funds may terminate the commitment periods of these funds or otherwise cause our removal as general partner of these funds under certain circumstances;

•The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions in the U.S. and global economies and may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations;

•Our business and financial condition may be materially adversely impacted by the variable nature of our revenues, and in particular the performance-based aspect of certain of our revenues and cash flows;

•The industry in which we operate is intensely competitive. If we are unable to compete successfully, our business and financial condition could be adversely affected;

•A decline in the pace or size of fundraising or investments made by us on behalf of our funds may adversely affect our revenues;

•We are subject to numerous conflicts of interest that are both inherent to our business and industry and particular to us;

•Our entitlement to receive carried interest from many of our funds may create an incentive for us to make more speculative investments and determinations on behalf of a fund than would be the case in the absence of such arrangement;

•Our international operations subject us to numerous risks;

•Extensive government regulation, compliance failures and changes in law or regulation could adversely affect us;

•Difficult market, geopolitical and economic conditions can adversely affect our business in many ways, including by reducing the value or performance of the investments made by our funds, reducing the number of high-quality investment managers with whom we may invest, and reducing the ability of our funds to raise or deploy capital; and

•If the investments we make on behalf of our funds perform poorly, we may suffer a decline in our revenues.

Part I.

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Our Company

Throughout our nearly 50-year history, we have been a leading independent, open-architecture alternative asset management solutions provider across all major alternative investment strategies. As of December 31, 2020, we had $62 billion in AUM. We collaborate with our clients to construct investment portfolios across multiple investment strategies in the private and public markets, customized to meet their specific objectives. We also offer specialized funds that are developed to meet broad market demands for strategies and risk-return objectives and span the alternatives investing universe. Our clients are principally large, sophisticated, global institutional investors who rely on our investment expertise and differentiated investment access to navigate the alternatives market. As one of the pioneers of customized separate account solutions, we are equipped to provide investment services to institutional clients with different needs, internal resources and investment objectives. As of December 31, 2020, we had 492 employees, including 170 investment professionals, operating in seven offices throughout the United States and in London, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, our total management fees were $325 million and $311 million, respectively, total fees attributable to us were $409 million and $422 million, respectively, our net income (loss) was $— million and $8 million, respectively, and our adjusted net income was $72 million and $91 million, respectively.

We believe our history, experience, expertise, scale and culture across the full range of alternative investment strategies and our flexible implementation approach are key differentiators and position us well to provide a strong value proposition for clients.

Broad and Deep Investment Capabilities

1 AUM as of December 31, 2020.

We operate at scale across a range of private markets and absolute return strategies. Private markets and absolute return strategies are primarily defined by the liquidity of the underlying securities purchased, the length of the client commitment, and the form and timing of incentive compensation. We offer the following private markets and absolute return investment strategies:

•Private Equity. We are a recognized industry leader in private equity investing with capabilities spanning investment types, investment strategies and manager relationships. As of December 31, 2020, we managed $22.8 billion of AUM in private equity strategies.

•Infrastructure. We have a more than 17 year track record of investing across the infrastructure landscape. Over this time, we have gained deep transaction experience across geographies, sectors and implementation methodologies. As of December 31, 2020, we managed $6.0 billion of AUM in infrastructure strategies.

•Real Estate. We manage real estate investments through a flexible investment platform to provide differentiated exposure to opportunistic real estate investments, primarily in North America. As of December 31, 2020, we managed $3.2 billion of AUM in real estate strategies.

•Alternative Credit. We are a leader in alternative credit with over 30 years of investing experience and investments covering the liquidity spectrum across structured credit, corporate credit, distressed, direct lending, and real assets. As of December 31, 2020, we managed $11.4 billion of AUM in alternative credit strategies, which overlaps with investments in other strategies.

•Absolute Return Strategies. We established our first advisory relationship in absolute return strategies in 1994 and have been building and managing customized absolute return strategies portfolios on behalf of institutional clients since 1996. As of December 31, 2020, we managed $25.2 billion of AUM in our absolute return strategies.

Open Architecture Investing Platform

Within these investment strategies, we make primary investments in funds managed by third-party managers, which we refer to as primary fund investments; we acquire secondary stakes in such funds, which we refer to as secondaries; we co-invest alongside such primary fund managers, which we refer to as co-investments; and we invest directly into operating businesses and operating assets, which we refer to as direct investing. A number of our clients utilize multiple strategies and approaches.

Quality Client Base, Global Footprint

Our client base is highly institutional, with over 500 institutional clients as of December 31, 2020, and is broadly diversified by type, size, geography, and revenue. Our clients include some of the world’s largest pension funds, sovereign wealth entities, corporations, financial institutions, family offices and high-net-worth and mass affluent individuals. Our 25 largest clients by AUM have been with us for an average of over 12 years and 92% of these clients have expanded their investment relationship with us over the last three years. Additionally, as of December 31, 2020, 46% of our top 50 clients by AUM worked with us in multiple investment strategies (i.e., private equity, infrastructure, real estate, alternative credit and absolute return strategies).

Note: AUM as of December 31, 2020. Management fees for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020.

We have developed our footprint globally and across all investor types over many years, which we believe provides us with the opportunity to continue to benefit from the ongoing global growth of the alternative asset management industry. With four offices outside of the United States, we cover all regions that offer meaningful investable capital and investment opportunities in the alternatives industry. We serve clients from over 32 countries and have deployed capital in over 100 countries across a wide range of investment strategies.

Note: As of December 31, 2020.

Flexible Client Implementation Model

We offer services to clients in two broad categories:

•Customized separate accounts. We construct customized portfolios to meet our clients’ specific objectives with regards to asset classes, implementation types, return, risk tolerance, diversification, liquidity and other factors. Generally available for commitments of $100 million or more, customized separate accounts comprised $48.0 billion of our AUM as of December 31, 2020. For many of our largest clients, we also provide value-add ancillary services, including fund administration, portfolio risk management and research access.

•Specialized funds. We organize, invest and manage specialized primary, secondary and direct/co-investment and multi-asset class funds across both private markets and absolute return strategies. Since 2015, we have increased our focus on building our offering of specialized funds particularly within private market strategies to leverage our existing investment capabilities and expand our investor footprint. Our product offerings have grown steadily since focusing in this area. Our specialized funds comprised $14.0 billion of our AUM as of December 31, 2020.

Customized Separate Accounts Specialized Funds

AUM $48bn (77% of total) $14bn (23% of total)

Note: AUM as of December 31, 2020.

Scalable and Predictable Business Model

Our business model is highly scalable with two primary fee streams: management fees and incentive fees. Approximately 90% of the net fees attributable to us in the last three years have come from management fees and administrative fees, which are historically more predictable across market conditions than our other sources of fees. We have experienced steady growth in the fee paying AUM (“FPAUM”) that drives our management fees; as of December 31, 2020, we had $52.0 billion in FPAUM. As of December 31, 2020, we also had an additional approximately $7.1 billion of contracted capital on which we expect to start charging management fees, under existing contracts, over the course of applicable commitments periods that extend for approximately the next three years. Of the approximately $7.1 billion, approximately $3.1 billion is subject to an agreed upon fee ramp in schedule that will result in management fees being charged on approximately $1.3 billion in 2021, approximately $1.3 billion in 2022, and approximately $0.5 billion in 2023 and beyond. With respect to approximately $4.0 billion of the $7.1 billion, management fees will be charged as such capital is invested, which will depend on a number of factors, including the availability of eligible investment opportunities. This additional $7.1 billion of capital will bolster our potential FPAUM growth over the next several years. While the governing documents of many of our closed-ended specialized funds and customized separate accounts, including those for which we expect to start charging management fees in the future, provide clients the right to suspend or terminate the commitment periods of these funds or cause our removal as general partner and investment manager of these funds without cause during a commitment period, we have had no such suspensions, terminations or removals by our clients since we began offering funds with such management fee terms when we acquired the Customized Fund Investment Group from Credit Suisse Group AG in January 2014.

Our net incentive fees are comprised of both carried interest earnings and annual performance fees and made up approximately 10% of the net fees attributable to us in the last three years. The incentive fees have greater variability between time periods; for example, our net incentive fees attributable to us increased approximately 48% for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to 2019. However, we believe that incentive fees also provide potential upside to our revenue stream in the future.

We believe our business model has the following valuable attributes, which create an attractive financial profile:

•High management fee centricity. For each of the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, approximately 90%and 84%, respectively, of the net fees attributable to us came from management fees.

•Stable management fee base. As of December 31, 2020, more than 70% of our AUM in private markets strategies had a remaining tenor of seven years or more. Additionally, across our customized separate accounts, capital raised from existing clients was more than 85% of the total capital raised in 2020 and has typically been 50%-80% of total capital historically.

•Significant earnings opportunity from incentive fees. Though subject to more variability, including on account of factors out of our control, we believe our incentive fees from both private markets and absolute return strategies have the opportunity to increase significantly in the future due to the amount of assets able to earn incentive fees and recent fundraising success.

•Embedded operating leverage. We have made significant investments in our platform infrastructure by building out our investment teams across investment strategies and geographies, which we believe positions us well for continued margin expansion. As of December 31, 2020, we had 170 investment professionals, up from 137 as of December 31, 2017.

Differentiated Capabilities

Middle Market/Small and Emerging Capabilities

We have a market-leading, dedicated effort to investing in and alongside middle market and small and emerging managers, which we believe adds significant, differentiated value to our clients. We broadly define middle market investment activities as funds with AUM of generally less than $3.0 billion in the United States, €2.0 billion in Europe or $1.5 billion in Asia, small investment activities as funds with AUM of generally less than $1.0 to $2.0 billion and emerging market activities as managers that have launched three or fewer funds or have less than three years of investment activity. As institutional investors seek new sources of return, they are increasingly recognizing the benefits of diversified investment portfolios that incorporate investment opportunities of all sizes. For the past 30 years, we have developed specific expertise in funding and supporting middle market and small and emerging managers as part of our broad investment activity across alternative investments. Since our first investment in 1989, we have committed more than $18.3 billion to small and emerging managers

across both private markets and absolute return strategies. We believe small, emerging and diverse managers present opportunity for better risk/return profiles, lower competition and differentiated underwriting.

ESG and Impact Capabilities

Responsible investing is a core value, which we embrace at every level of our organization. Through our investments, we incorporate ESG considerations into our business management, analysis, due diligence, and portfolio construction. We view ESG issues as key elements of investment return, volatility and risk mitigation, and believe the appropriate consideration of such issues is an important aspect of our fiduciary responsibility to our clients. Since the firm’s inception, we have committed and invested approximately $16.6 billion in ESG and impact-related themes. We have an A+ rating from the PRI for our approach to strategy and governance, and an A+ rating for our integration of ESG factors in private equity manager selection, approval, and monitoring. Entities affiliated with us have been a signatory to the PRI since June 2012. On the operating side, we actively consider and respond to ESG risks and opportunities within our firm, including assessing the environmental impact of our activities, managing relationships with all of our stakeholders and monitoring factors such as firm leadership, executive pay, internal controls and shareholder rights.

Human Capital Resources

We recognize that our chief asset is our people. In a human capital business, we believe culture matters and is a defensible asset. We have been a registered investment advisor since 1997 with a culture of compliance rooted in a proper tone at the top. We have fostered a culture of service to our clients, recognizing that we succeed when our clients succeed. Our culture values all functions of the firm, and while we always seek high performance in our investment strategies, we pursue excellence in all of the non-investment functions of our firm. In addition, we have a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

We are a process-driven firm that does not operate on a star system, not relying on any one individual and therefore, always prepared to deal with issues of contingency and succession. Additionally, we have made significant investments in training, talent and technology to ensure we are serving our clients with the highest levels of professionalism.

Note: Executive management team as of January 1, 2021; other data as of December 31, 2020. Individuals with dual responsibilities are counted only once.

Investment professionals include research and portfolio management, operational due diligence, risk management, and labor and government strategy.

As of December 31, 2020, we had 492 employees, including 170 investment professionals, operating in seven offices throughout the United States and in London, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo. In addition to a competitive compensation structure, we promote a work environment that is interesting and challenging, providing our employees the opportunity to grow professionally. Inclusiveness is part of our ethos and is woven into our core activities. As of December 31, 2020, 57% of our employees based in the U.S. were women or ethnically diverse; and, of our senior professionals, 49% were women or ethnically diverse employees. We believe there is significant alignment of interests between our clients, our stakeholders and our firm. As of December 31, 2020, our current and former employees and the firm had over $608.7 million of their own capital invested

into our various investment programs, which we believe aligns our interests with those of our clients. Michael J. Sacks, GCM V and GCMH Equityholders (“Key Holders”) own approximately 78% of the Company as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which we believe aligns our interests with those of our stakeholders.

Business Combination

GCM Grosvenor Inc. was incorporated in Delaware on July 27, 2020 as a wholly owned subsidiary of GCMH. On November 17, 2020, we consummated the Business Combination (the “Transaction”) as set out in the Transaction Agreement. In connection with the Transaction, CFAC and GCMG merged and GCMG became the surviving entity, GCMG issued shares and warrants to the PIPE Investors, the CF Sponsor and Holdings, and the remaining balance of CFAC’s trust account was transferred to GCMG’s balance sheet. Additionally, IntermediateCo exercised an option to purchase all of the Class B-2 common units of GCMH then held by certain investors (pursuant to an assignment by Holdings to IntermediateCo of the Option Agreement). IntermediateCo also acquired GCMHGP LLC’s interests in GCMH, Holding’s interests in GCM, LLC, and certain Grosvenor common units and warrants. Concurrently, GCMH was redomiciled as a limited liability limited partnership in the State of Delaware, its Limited Liability Limited Partnership Agreement was amended and restated, and IntermediateCo became the general partner of the GCMH. Following the consummation of the Transaction, GCMG owns all of the equity interests in IntermediateCo.

Our History

Since the launch of our first multi-manager absolute return portfolio almost 50 years ago, we have specialized in creating and managing alternative investment portfolios on behalf of our clients. From 1971 to the mid-1990s, we provided specialized absolute return portfolios primarily to high-net-worth and family office investors. During the 1990s, we began to expand our absolute return service offerings and have since developed an institutional-quality operating infrastructure.

Starting in the early 1990s, we increased our emphasis on customized portfolios and broadened our absolute return advisory service offerings. We established our first absolute return advisory relationship in 1994 and have been building and managing customized absolute return portfolios on behalf of institutional clients since 1996. As our assets grew and we strengthened our relationships with managers, we sought to use our scale, experience and industry relationships to tailor investment mandates and negotiate for improved terms for our clients. Over the years, we expanded our global presence through the opening of offices in Europe and Asia to support our growing institutional client base.

In January 2014, we further evolved by adding complementary private markets capabilities through our acquisition of the Customized Fund Investment Group from Credit Suisse Group AG, which was established in 1999. The acquisition added private equity, infrastructure and real estate investment strategies to our business and has been a success both economically and culturally with a commitment to a “one firm” model that is collaborative across investment strategies — one management team, one compliance department, one operational backbone and one client facing function, among others. We believe this “one firm” culture across the entire range of alternative investment strategies is an important differentiator for us because it enhances the overall value proposition for our clients.

Today, we believe we are the largest open-architecture alternatives platform globally, enabling us to provide our clients with a comprehensive and diverse suite of customized solutions across both private markets and absolute return strategies in multiple implementation methodologies and delivery formats.

Our Market Opportunity

The alternative asset management industry continues to see strong growth, driven by both private markets and absolute return investment strategies. According to a 2017 report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (“PwC”), total alternative AUM is expected to grow from $10.1 trillion in 2016 to $21.2 trillion in 2025, implying a CAGR of 9%. During the same period, total global AUM is expected to only grow by approximately 6%.

Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Asset & Wealth Management Revolution: Embracing Exponential Change, 2017.

Several trends and developments have shaped the alternative investing industry and continue to serve as the primary drivers of our growth:

Continued Growth in Institutional Wealth

Global institutional wealth has increased significantly in recent years and is expected to continue to grow. According to PwC’s 2017 report, the total assets of institutional investors such as pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds and family offices are expected to increase from $63 trillion in 2012 to $123 trillion in 2025, reflecting a CAGR of 5%. Continued growth in the investable capital base of these investors is expected to continue to support growth in the alternative investment strategies.

Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Asset & Wealth Management Revolution: Embracing Exponential Change, 2017.

1 Includes pensions, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds and family offices

Increasing Demand from Institutional Investors for Alternative Investment Strategies

The low yield environment resulting from the loose monetary policy pursued by many central banks after the global financial crisis that began in the late 2000s has created significant challenges for investors. Within the institutional client base, defined benefit pension schemes have found it difficult to achieve targeted returns to meet rising pension fund obligations within a framework of conventional asset allocations to equities and bonds. The gap between assets and liabilities has widened, according to Public Plans Database. In response, pension fund allocations to alternative investment strategies have increased as a means to improve returns to meet these long-term obligations.

According to Preqin, 84% of surveyed institutional investors plan to increase their current allocations to private markets. In addition to growing overall levels of allocations, the actual investments by institutional investors in private markets asset classes remain consistently below target levels of allocations. According to Bain Capital’s Global Private Equity Report 2019, 60% of institutional investors, on average, are below targeted levels of private equity assets, suggesting significant further upside in asset growth in the long term.

Consistently Strong Performance of Alternative Investment Strategies

Alternative investment strategies have established a track record of strong returns and outperformance versus both the fixed income and public equity markets in the longer term. In addition to strong absolute and relative returns, alternative investments provide diversification, offer an inflation hedge, typically have low correlation to other asset classes and generate relatively stable income. As a result, we expect alternative investment strategies to continue to play an important role in institutional portfolios in the future.

Source: BlackRock Investment Institute, September 2020.

Importance of Manager and Investment Strategy Selection

Growth in the alternative asset management industry over the past two decades has created a competitive environment. According to Preqin data, the number of active fund management firms is expected to increase by 21% from approximately 28,000 in 2018 to approximately 34,000 in 2023. This increased competition makes individual manager selection important. We believe investors will increasingly look to the scale, experience and platform of firms like us to identify high performing investments. Our broad strategy set and flexible implementation platform enables clients to access different investment strategies at different points in economic cycles.

Diversification Benefits of Constructing a Portfolio With Multiple Investment Strategies

Our platform enables clients to invest across multiple strategies and seek the potential benefits of diversification. Diversification can be particularly beneficial during times of high market uncertainty. With regard to private markets strategies, according to a Preqin’s H1 2020 Investor Outlook Report on Alternative Assets, approximately 74% of institutional investors invest in at least one alternative investment strategy, and approximately 52% invest in two or more alternative investment strategies.

Data Advantage and Technology Infrastructure Are Becoming More Important as Investors Demand Greater Analytics and Transparency

We believe many institutional investors can benefit from the scale, experience, knowledge and deep teams we offer to successfully navigate the alternative asset management industry which is becoming increasingly complex, both with respect to the number of fund managers as well as the number of investment strategies available. These benefits can include:

•global knowledge of the alternative landscape;

•investment professionals with experience in alternative investing;

•infrastructure and portfolio analytics to properly monitor investments; and

•compliance infrastructure.

As a result, investors are increasingly seeking to work with firms that not only have a proven track record of investing across multiple investment strategies, but are also highly sophisticated in their non-investment functions such as portfolio monitoring, reporting, accounting, legal and compliance, operations and data analysis.

Our Competitive Strengths

Poised to Capitalize on a Large and Growing Market

According to PwC’s 2017 report, total alternative AUM is expected to grow at an annualized growth rate of approximately 9% per year between 2016 and 2025, reaching over $21 trillion from approximately $14 trillion in 2016. Additionally, institutional investors plan to continue to increase or maintain their exposure to alternative investment strategies in the coming years, according to Preqin. We believe we are the only independent, open-architecture alternative asset management solutions provider with scaled solutions across all major alternative investment strategies, which we believe positions us well to capture this market growth.

Execution Expertise Across Multiple Investment Strategies

We are one of the few solutions providers globally with the breadth and flexibility of execution across a broad spectrum of alternative investment strategies (private markets, including private equity, infrastructure, real estate and alternative credit, and absolute return strategies) and implementation methodologies (primary fund investments, secondaries, co-investments and direct investments). We believe this offers us a unique vantage point as we sit at the intersection of a tremendous amount of market intelligence and deal flow across our entire platform. As investors try to limit the number of asset manager relationships they maintain by trimming duplicative strategies and managers, they have increasingly turned their focus on a smaller number of solutions providers like us that offer access to multiple investment strategies. According to Preqin’s H1 2020 Investor Outlook Report on Alternative Assets, approximately 52% of institutional investors invest in two or more alternative investment strategies.

Market Leader in Customized Alternative Investment Solutions

There is increasing appreciation in the institutional investor community for tailored investment programs that are different from the one-size-fits-all solution offered by specialized funds. Customized investment solutions provide the ability for a collaborative relationship between clients and asset managers, which can enable clients to address specific interests, issues and needs. We believe we were pioneers in the customized separate account business, having launched our first absolute return-focused customized separate account in 1996. Our successor companies and we have been providing custom accounts in private markets since 1999. Our customized solutions approach offers the following benefits to our clients:

•Tailored. Bespoke investment portfolio developed specifically for each client that is aligned with their specific time horizon and funding obligations;

•Flexible. The client defines the mandate with the flexibility to evolve it as needs change;

•Collaborative. The client determines the level of involvement in investment and implementation decisions;

•Economically efficient. Each client benefits from our size and global scale. Clients access investments with favorable structures and also leverage our staff and services; and

•Service-oriented. Designated coverage team includes investor relations and portfolio management staff.

As of December 31, 2020, we had $48.0 billion in AUM across our customized separate accounts for 147 clients across 239 customized portfolios.

Leader in ESG and Impact Investment Strategies

ESG and impact investing are increasingly top of mind for many institutional investors in response to the challenges faced by businesses and the world at large. Managers are seeking to move beyond simply incorporating ESG and impact investing in their investment approach, and are looking to embed it into their cultural framework, taking a more holistic

approach to sustainability. We believe this growth will continue over the next several years, driven by investor demand and regulatory influence.

With approximately $12.8 billion of our AUM dedicated to ESG and impact investments and approximately $4 billion in total realizations since inception, we are a market leader in this growing area. We view ESG factors as key elements of investment return, volatility and risk mitigation. We believe we are ahead of the industry curve in focusing on recognizing ESG and impact investment considerations, which positions us well with clients, who are increasingly focused on risk-adjusted returns associated with socially responsible investment opportunities. To that end, we invest in a number of ESG- and impact-related themes, including infrastructure investments where we believe partnering with union labor enhances risk-adjusted returns, investing with firms owned by women or minority professionals, and other impact-related themes like regionally targeted and clean energy.

The graphics below highlight our commitment to and scale in ESG and impact-related strategies:

ESG and Impact Investments AUM ($bn)

Note: Total invested/committed and category breakdown, and AUM, includes Private Markets data as of September 30, 2020 and Absolute Return Strategies data as of December 31, 2020.

Note: Some investments are counted in more than one ESG Category.

We believe the consideration of ESG factors is an important aspect of our fiduciary responsibility and ability to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns to clients. Therefore, we take measures to reasonably ensure that ESG is considered throughout our investment and operational due diligence process, during portfolio construction and is monitored on an ongoing basis during an investment’s lifespan. Depending on the type of investment, we will have differing levels of control and transparency during the underwriting process and after an investment has been made, which change the way we assess and integrate ESG factors.

Given our size and scale, we believe we are uniquely placed within the industry to drive broader integration of ESG factors among investors in alternatives. Therefore, we are engaged in multiple partnerships with organizations committed to enhancing integration of ESG factors and driving greater industry transparency.

Deep and Tenured Client Relationships

We believe we succeed when our clients succeed. We have a high-quality client base including some of the largest public and private pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions, family offices and high-net-worth individuals. Our client relationships are long tenured and stable — our 25 largest clients by AUM have been with us for more than 12 years on average. As a result of providing highly customized separate account solutions, our relationships with our clients are often central to the clients’ core operations. We provide extensive services to support clients’ broader investment functions beyond their GCM Grosvenor-managed accounts. These services may include administrative support, such as reporting and technology,

investment implementation and other operational support. Additionally, we may provide strategic services such as broad design of an alternatives program, access to due diligence capabilities, maintaining historical institutional knowledge base, board and staff education and training and, in certain cases, second our staff members within select clients’ offices. We believe these services embed us within the client’s broader alternative investment programs and further increase stability with our clients. Our strong and stable client relationships allow us to grow with the clients as they grow over time as well as expand our relationship into new areas over time due to the breadth of our offerings across the entire alternatives universe. As of December 31, 2020, 46% of our top 50 clients by AUM work with us in multiple investment strategies (i.e., private equity, infrastructure, real estate, alternative credit and absolute return strategies), which we believe enhances the stickiness of our relationship with such clients. Further, as of December 31, 2020, approximately 36% of our top 25 clients by AUM had capital in multiple delivery formats (customized separate accounts as well as specialized funds). We believe that our deep and longstanding client relationships, founded on the customized nature of our solutions, strong performance and diverse product offering have facilitated the growth of our existing businesses and will assist us with the development of additional strategies and products, thereby increasing our AUM.

As of December 31, 2020, our business development, marketing and client service teams consisted of 61 employees. We believe our service levels, as well as our emphasis on transparency, inspire client loyalty and support our efforts to continue to attract investors across our investment platform.

Extensive Relationships and Data Support Sourcing of Opportunity and Performance Across Multiple Alternative Investment Strategies.

Given our long history in the market and the resulting depth and scale of our relationships with managers, we believe we have developed one of the most comprehensive sets of data in the industry across both private markets and absolute return investment strategies, which is essential in sourcing differentiated, high-quality investment opportunities. As of December 31, 2020, we tracked more than 5,600 managers across our platform. Our extensive proprietary data and analytics capabilities drive our investment selection decisions, helping us generate consistently strong investment returns.

As shown below, for our realized and partially realized investments, we have outperformed the respective market benchmarks across all our private markets strategies on an inception-to-date basis as of September 30, 2020. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

•In private equity, we have outperformed the S&P 500 PME by approximately 414 bps, 1050 bps and 693 bps, respectively, across primary fund investments, secondaries and direct and co-investments, generating annualized returns of 13.8%, 19.9% and 22.6%, respectively, since their respective dates of inception in 1999, 2014 and 2009, respectively;

•In infrastructure, we have outperformed the MSCI World Infrastructure PME by approximately 425 bps, generating annualized returns of 10.8% since inception in 2003; and

•In real estate, we have outperformed the FTSE Nareit All REITs PME by approximately 953 bps, generating annualized returns of 21.8% since inception in 2010.

Our absolute return strategies have also generated strong annualized returns:

•Overall, we have generated gross annualized returns of 7.28% in our absolute return strategies since inception in 1996; and

•Across the GCMLP Diversified Multi-Strategy Composite (the “Composite”), we have generated gross annualized returns of 8.24% since 1993. The Composite presents the composite performance of all globally diversified, U.S. dollar-denominated, multi-strategy portfolios managed by us pursuant to materially similar investment mandates.

For additional details on our investment performance and explanatory footnotes, please see “— Investment Performance”. In addition to our investment performance, we believe clients value our services and support in portfolio monitoring, reporting, accounting, legal and compliance, operations and data analysis functions.

Attractive Financial Profile

We believe our financial profile has the following valuable attributes:

•High management fee centricity. For each of the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020, approximately 90% and 84% of the net fees attributable to us came from management fees, respectively.

•Significant visibility into future growth. As of December 31, 2020, we had $7.1 billion of contracted capital on which we will start earning fees as invested or based on a fixed ramp in schedule. Similarly, we have a highly visible pipeline of identified specialized funds that we expect to raise over the next several years, most of which are successors to existing funds in established specialized fund franchises. These funds include our next Secondaries fund, our next Infrastructure Strategies fund, our next Multi-Asset Class fund, our next Labor Infrastructure fund, and our first diverse manager Advance fund, among others.

•Additional earnings power from incentive fees. Though subject to more variability, including on account of factors out of our control, we believe our incentive fees from both private markets and absolute return strategies have the opportunity to increase significantly in the future for several reasons. First, we expect our share of unrealized carried interest to grow significantly from the funds that we have already raised through December 31, 2020, driven by three key factors: 1) growth in overall private markets fundraising from 2015 to December 31, 2020; 2) a higher proportion of the funds raised being in strategies that typically have higher carried interest percentages (direct, secondary, co-investments); and 3) the firm’s increased share of retained carried interest. Additionally, our firm AUM eligible for annual performance fees has increased 41% since December 31, 2017 to $14.4 billion as of December 31, 2020, increasing the annual performance fee we would realize today on an equivalent level of historical performance.

•Embedded operating leverage. Over the last several years, we have made significant investments in our platform infrastructure by building out our investment teams across investment strategies and geographies. We believe this positions us well for continued margin expansion as we utilize the additional investment capacity of such existing teams to manage larger amounts of FPAUM, particularly in the specialized funds franchises where our teams are raising the second or third scaled funds in those strategies. As of December 31, 2020, we had 170 investment professionals, up from 137 as of December 31, 2017.

Deep Bench of Talent With a Strong Corporate Culture

At our firm, we believe culture is one of our most important and defensible assets. We believe in setting the right tone at the top as it relates to compliance and carrying it throughout the organization. That investment in culture is reflected in the stability and diversity of our team as well as the fact that we do not operate on a star system and therefore are not beholden to any one individual. We are committed to investing responsibly, operating our business with integrity, and building a diverse and inclusive workplace where our employees can thrive.

Each of our investment strategies is led by its own leadership team of highly accomplished investment professionals. While primarily focused on managing strategies within their own investment group, these senior professionals are integrated within our platform through economic, cultural and structural measures. Additionally, as of December 31, 2020, our current, former employees and the firm had over $608.7 million of their own capital (including through leveraged vehicles) invested into our various investment programs, which we believe aligns our interests with those of our clients.

Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our ethos. As of December 31, 2020, 57% of our employees based in the U.S. were women or ethnically diverse, and of our senior professionals, 49% were women or ethnically diverse employees. We work hard to ensure we are maintaining our focus and continuously improving our efforts in this area.

Our philosophy also motivates us to volunteer and provide resources for organizations that strengthen the communities where we live and work as well as our global community. In 2020, our employees volunteered more than 8,000 total hours, with the firm supporting more than 225 organizations.

Growth Strategy

Expand Relationships With Our Existing Clients, While Growing Our Overall Client Base

We believe the best way to grow our business is by taking care of our existing clients, because when they succeed, we succeed. During 2020, over 85% of our gross capital inflows in our customized separate accounts are derived from existing clients. As a provider of specialized funds and customized solutions across the full spectrum of alternative investment strategies, we have deep and longstanding relationships with our clients. As of December 31, 2020, 46% of our top 50 clients by AUM worked with us in multiple investment strategies. In addition, we believe our existing clients have a growing asset base and are expanding allocations to alternative investment strategies (i.e., private equity, infrastructure, real estate, alternative credit and absolute return strategies). As a result, we believe a large portion of our growth will come from existing clients through renewals and expansion of existing mandates with us. We also aim to continue to grow our client base by expanding globally and diversifying into new client segments, such as smaller institutions and high-net-worth investors. We have successfully onboarded 91 net new clients or net new to strategy clients to the firm since 2017, net of clients lost during that time period, including 5 net new clients or net new to strategy clients in 2020.

In the year ended December 31, 2020, we raised $7.0 billion of capital across strategies and implementation methodologies, of which more than 85% was raised from existing clients, evidence of their continued support for our value proposition. Another good measure of our client relationships is our contracted but not yet fee-paying AUM, which was at an all-time high for us of $7.1 billion, as of December 31, 2020, up from $1.9 billion at the end of 2017. This capital is expected to turn into FPAUM over the course of approximately the next three years and help drive significant growth from funds already under contract. It is also a strong indication of the momentum with our clients and in our business today.

Continue to Grow Our Private Markets Specialized Funds Franchise

Since 2015, we have made a concerted effort to invest in and build our specialized fund capabilities. During that time, we have launched one or more funds in private equity (co-investments and secondaries), ESG and impact investing (labor impact strategy and diverse managers), infrastructure as well as multi-asset class solutions. The FPAUM across our private markets specialized funds has grown from $4.3 billion as of December 31, 2017 to $6.2 billion as of December 31, 2020, reflecting a CAGR of 13.1%. We believe the natural evolution and growth of our investment in the current specialized fund franchises will see us with new successor funds in several strategies in the interim. Our private markets specialized fund franchises currently include co-investments, diverse managers, infrastructure, labor impact, multi-asset class and secondaries. As we raise successor funds in these established franchises, we expect to continue to grow our management fees.

Expand Our Offerings Across Investment Strategies

A key to our growth has been pursuing innovative investment strategies that complement our incumbent strengths. For example, we leveraged our infrastructure investment capabilities to develop a labor-focused direct infrastructure investment strategy in 2018 as a means to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns by partnering with value-added union labor. Since its inception, the total AUM under our labor impact strategy has grown to approximately $892.7 million.

We plan to continue to identify attractive and innovative investment offerings that expand on our current investment capabilities. As an example, we believe we can leverage our existing platform strengths to expand into value-add, core and core-plus real estate strategies, as well as infrastructure debt and project finance. Our platform provides the flexibility and scale to create new products and innovative investment strategies when market demand and opportunity warrant it, and we believe our track record demonstrates that we know how to identify and pursue those opportunities successfully for our clients. We are also contemplating sponsoring two special purpose acquisition companies. We believe our extensive network of general partner relationships across the alternatives industry would put us in a unique position to source transactions whereby a special purpose acquisition company could be the appropriate solution for a general partner.

Expand Our Distribution Channels

We believe the growing demand for alternative assets provides an opportunity for us to attract new investors across a variety of distribution channels. As we continue to expand our product offerings and our global presence, we expect to be able to attract new investors to our funds. In addition to pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, corporate pension funds, multiemployer pension funds and financial institutions, which have historically comprised a significant portion of our AUM, in recent periods we have extended our investment strategies and marketing efforts increasingly to insurance companies, sub-advisory partners and other non-institutional investors, which we believe remain under-allocated to alternative assets.

Build Out Our Global Presence

Since 1996, we have had a global client base with significant assets coming from outside the United States. We have continued to grow our global presence significantly by opening new offices internationally as well as expanding our non-U.S. client base. Our aim is to continue expanding our global presence through further direct investment in personnel, client relationships and increased investments with, and direct and co-investments alongside, established managers. We believe that the favorable industry trends for alternative asset managers are global in nature, with a number of international markets representing compelling opportunities for our investment strategies.

Investment Strategies

We provide our clients access to both private markets and absolute return investment strategies diversified across managers, liquidity profile, geographic regions and industries as described below.

Generally, clients commit to invest over a three year time period and have an expected duration of seven years or more.

Private Equity

Private equity is our largest private markets investment strategy with $22.8 billion in AUM as of December 31, 2020. We are a recognized industry leader in private equity investing with over 20 years of experience. Since our first private equity investment in 1999, we have gained deep experience investing alongside managers and sponsors across strategies, including leveraged buyouts, special situations, growth equity, and venture capital.

Our private equity investment philosophy is centered around middle market strategies, which we define as companies with total enterprise value less than $1.5 billion at entry. This approach allows us to access investments where proprietary sourcing, value-add capabilities and differentiated underwriting can lead to lower entry values and better risk return profiles. This is also an area of the market that is typically inefficient for institutional investors to access directly and where clients can leverage our extensive team and industry expertise to invest in a diversified portfolio, allowing us to add more value to our clients. We are a preferred capital partner for many hard-to-access funds and small and emerging managers and we maintain an active presence with advisory board seats on many of our middle market buyout fund investments. As of December 31, 2020, our professionals had committed approximately $30.9 billion with over 425 private equity managers on behalf of our clients.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure is one of our core alternative investment strategy focuses. Since our first infrastructure investment in 2003, we have grown into one of the leaders in alternative infrastructure investing with approximately $6.0 billion of AUM as of December 31, 2020. We primarily focus on power, utilities, renewables, transportation and telecom/technology infrastructure. Our experience, combined with our global platform, provides us with a comprehensive view of the infrastructure landscape, allowing us to broadly source opportunities and seek the most effective means of implementation. We seek to drive value for our clients through both custom mandates and multi-client offerings that offer diversified access to primary fund investments, secondaries, co-investments, and direct investments.

We have a specialized team of investment professionals who focus solely on infrastructure investments and are located globally. Since we launched our first infrastructure customized separate account in 2007, our infrastructure customized separate accounts business has grown to include infrastructure separate accounts managed on behalf of pension plans, financial institutions, high-net-worth individuals/family offices and foundations/endowments. In 2009, we launched our first diversified infrastructure specialized fund. In 2018, we launched the firm’s labor impact strategy, which seeks to originate and execute infrastructure projects that leverage the inclusion of union labor as a contributing factor to enabling attractive risk adjusted returns. We believe attractive infrastructure investment opportunities can be unlocked through close cooperation across labor, government and private capital. We also believe this collaboration will generate positive outcomes for labor and improve infrastructure assets and communities.

Real Estate

Since our first real estate investment in 2002, our team has targeted value-add and opportunistic returns through equity and credit investments and focuses primarily on the more fragmented part of the market where asset values on average tend to be less than $50 million. To date, we have invested opportunistically across the spectrum of commercial and residential real estate property types, largely in the U.S. but also selectively in mature European and Nordic markets. In addition, we have built an open-architecture approach that allows us to invest in assets, portfolios and entities in order to generate superior risk-adjusted returns. As such, we have developed a creative array of structures, including seeding arrangements, growth-oriented

joint ventures and co-investments, which allow us to generate excess return through structure and fee differentiation. We believe our partnership approach to investing positions us as a preferred investment partner as we are able to structure mutually beneficial “capital solutions” that provide us with enhanced upside and greater downside mitigation while also solving the unique considerations of our investment partners. As of December 31, 2020, we managed $3.2 billion of AUM in real estate strategies.

Alternative Credit

With over 30 years of investing experience, our credit investments span market cycles and the liquidity spectrum across structured credit, corporate credit, distressed, direct lending, and real asset credit. Our credit investment activities also significantly leverage the firm’s broad alternatives platform, which provides us with differentiated deal flow and the flexibility to execute through primary fund investments, co-investments, secondaries, and direct transactions across the credit landscape. Our robust global platform also provides a wide range of opportunities, including niche opportunities and exclusive access to capacity-constrained investments. We implement credit strategies for our clients both as part of a customized separate account that includes solely credit investments or investing in credit alongside another investment strategy, and through dedicated credit-focused specialized funds. As of December 31, 2020, we managed $11.4 billion of AUM in alternative credit strategies.

Absolute Return Strategies

Absolute return strategies are primarily defined by the liquidity of the underlying securities purchased, the length of the client commitment, and the form and timing of incentive compensation. Generally for absolute return strategies the securities tend to be more liquid, and incentive compensation is earned on an annual basis pursuant to mark to market. We offer a broad range of tailored solutions across strategies (multi-strategy, opportunistic credit, macro, relative value, long/short equity and quantitative strategies) and managers. Our overall investment philosophy is to invest with leading managers to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns with low volatility and low correlation to traditional investment strategies. Diversification, risk management and a focus on downside protection are key tenets of our approach. Through detailed fundamental analysis and due diligence, we aim to identify investment opportunities where intermediate or long-term value is obscured by attributes such as complexity, corporate events, technical dislocations, or market misunderstandings. We frequently provide efficient access to underlying managers through improved fee structures, negotiated favorable terms and targeted exposures. Our scale and reputation as a longstanding, value-added limited partner creates opportunities for us to gain access to managers that are “closed” and not otherwise accepting new capital. As of December 31, 2020, we had approximately $25.2 billion AUM in our absolute return strategies.

Implementation Methodologies

We provide our clients access to both private markets and absolute return investment strategies diversified across financing stages, geographic regions and industries through the implementation methodologies described below.

Allocation to Primary Fund Investments

Primary fund investments are investments in funds, either at the time the funds are initially launched (for private markets strategies) or on an ongoing basis (for absolute return strategies). We apply the same rigorous analytical process to all primary investment opportunities for customized separate accounts and specialized funds. In most cases, managers seeking institutional capital actively market their funds to us due to our broad client base and market position. We regularly review and discuss investment opportunities with customized separate account clients, certain of which have discretion over final investment decisions.

At the time we commit capital to a fund on behalf of our specialized funds or customized separate accounts, investments the fund will make are generally not known and investors typically have very little or no ability to influence the investments that are made during the fund’s investment period. Accordingly, an accurate assessment of the manager’s capabilities is essential for investment success. A private markets primary fund usually has a contractual duration of between 10 and 15 years, with the capital deployed over a period of typically four to six years. For customized separate account clients, our investment recommendations and decisions are designed to achieve specific portfolio construction and return objectives mutually developed by us and our clients. In most cases, these objectives include a diversified portfolio, built over a period of at least several years, focused on specific markets and include some or all of the major alternative investment strategies. Portfolios constructed in this manner tend naturally to avoid concentrations in particular industries or small geographic regions.

Acquisition of Secondary Market Interests

Secondaries are typically investments in private markets and absolute return funds through secondary market purchases of existing fund interests from existing limited partners in those funds. The secondary market has grown dramatically in the last 20 years and today provides a reliable liquidity option for owners of fund interests as well as attractive buying opportunities for secondary investors. Institutional investors utilize the secondary market for strategic portfolio rebalancing, rationalizing overlapping positions resulting from mergers and acquisitions or providing liquidity when facing cash constraints.

Our secondary approach is differentiated as a result of our large primary fund investments business. We are able to leverage our strong and deep relationships with managers to identify potential secondary opportunities. Through these relationships, we have greater access to information, which enables us to act quickly when evaluating a potential secondary opportunity. In addition, our reputation as a longstanding, value-added limited partner with significant access to primary capital makes us an attractive buyer from the manager’s perspective. Further, because we have capital available from our specialized funds and customized separate accounts, we have flexibility to invest in secondary transactions of various sizes on behalf of our clients. For these reasons, we are often able to consider transactions from managers on a proprietary basis as a preferred buyer. We also generate deal flow from brokers and co-investors. We are often approached as a potential secondary investor because managers are likely to approve a sale to us and because of our intimate knowledge of the manager community. We also generate deal flow through regular attendance at annual fund meetings and industry conferences, as well as a proactive program of contacting fund investors that we believe might wish to sell their interests.

Our global platform provides for deep market coverage and consistently sources proprietary transaction opportunities. We believe proprietary and advantaged deal flow has been a critical factor in our ability to purchase high quality assets at below market prices.

Co-investment Opportunities

Co-investment opportunities are investments made in partnership with private markets and absolute return asset managers and their funds. We source co-investment opportunities through our extensive origination and sourcing efforts described below. Our investment team analyzes and considers each opportunity for risk and return and selects those opportunities that best fit our portfolios’ investment objectives. We seek diversification with regard to investment type, geography and with regard to our partners. Our co-investments are made in partnership with investment managers. The value proposition for managers to offer co-investments to us falls into three primary categories: (1) we can be a source of additional capital for deals that may otherwise be too large for managers seeking targeted diversification; (2) a co-investment can present an opportunity for a manager to further develop their relationship with us, one of the largest providers of capital to the alternative markets; and (3) we believe we are increasingly viewed as a strategic investor in some manner (e.g., geographic assistance, industry knowledge and brand reputation).

Direct Investment Opportunities

Direct investment opportunities are direct investments made on a standalone basis into operating businesses and operating assets. We source direct investment opportunities through our extensive origination and sourcing efforts described below. Our direct investments typically have a flexible mandate and can invest across asset classes, geographies, sectors and liquidity profiles.

Investment Process and Monitoring

The details of our investment process vary among our investment strategies and implementation methodologies, but the flowchart and descriptions below generally outline the key steps of the investment process for primary fund investments, secondaries, and co-investments. This process is followed for each potential investment regardless of size, stage, strategy, or geography.

Sourcing of Opportunities

All of our investment strategies benefit from our scale ($61.9 billion in AUM as of December 31, 2020), our extensive track record (almost 50 years of experience), our culture of compliance and the depth of our investment team (170 investment professionals). We believe that one of our competitive advantages is our comprehensive and robust sourcing and investment process. Our deal flow is sourced through multiple channels and reviewed through a rigorous, multi-step selection process that includes independent investment and operational due diligence.

We maintain strong relationships with many of the premier and most difficult-to-access managers across the alternative sector, and seek to leverage those relationships to the benefit of our clients. With multiple investment offices located in the U.S., Europe and Asia, we maintain a global footprint and perspective, allowing us to source idiosyncratic deal flow from local markets. Our ability to source, select and access top-tier opportunities reflects the rigorous processes executed by our large, experienced teams.

We maintain a robust pipeline of primary fund investments, secondaries, direct and co-investments. Our sourcing system relies on the following channels:

Existing manager relationships. Our relationships with a large pool of high-quality managers and management teams serve as a source of investment opportunities. We have experience and access across the spectrum of market and manager size. As of December 31, 2020, we tracked over 5,600 managers in our database.

Proactive sourcing log. Our proprietary deal flow log monitors funds coming to market. Based on information obtained through our large network, non-affiliated firms, intermediaries, attendance at industry conferences and industry publications, we compile robust contact lists to communicate with managers who may have funds coming to market. We believe our proactive sourcing enables us to get a head start on the identification and evaluation of investment opportunities.

Global offices. Our on-the-ground investment professionals in seven offices globally assist with sourcing, evaluating and monitoring manager opportunities in their respective regions. Our regional offices allow us to build relationships with local managers who are included in our evaluation of managers for our client programs. We rely on our team’s regional expertise to evaluate emerging managers that could be overlooked by other investors and make commitments to high quality investments nationwide.

In-bound opportunities. We are an investor of choice for many managers. We frequently receive placement memoranda in-bounds from prospective managers due to our reputation in the market as a value-add investor. Receipt of materials directly from managers is particularly relevant with respect to spin-outs and new funds.

Initial Evaluation

Once an opportunity is identified, we assign a team of both senior and junior investment professionals to conduct investment due diligence and ongoing monitoring. Based on the team’s assessment of key materials and the initial meeting/call, we evaluate the investment merits and the suitability of the investment for our portfolios.

Preliminary Due Diligence

The team performs preliminary due diligence on a proposed investment to more thoroughly analyze the key risks and merits identified during initial evaluation. The team also conducts informal reference checks with potential fund investors and/or co-investors.

Comprehensive Due Diligence

Comprehensive investment due diligence on a primary fund or secondary investment involves one or more site visits to a potential manager’s office(s). Key areas of our evaluation include performance evaluation, investment strategy, portfolio revaluation, management team assessment and detailed reference checks. We usually execute co-investments alongside trusted managers in whose funds we have invested before. Therefore, managers have typically been subject to the due diligence evaluations listed above prior to the evaluation of a co-investment opportunity. For direct investments, only the most attractive investments move to more intensive due diligence, which typically involves meetings with management, company facility visits, discussions with industry analysts and consultants and an in-depth examination of financial results and projections. This approach, along with our depth of resources, allows us to complete comprehensive due diligence within the often shortened timeframe typically requested by sponsors due to deal timing constraints.

Operational Due Diligence

Operational due diligence is performed by our Operational Due Diligence Team, which is comprised of members of our Legal and Finance Departments. The team is responsible for operational due diligence efforts across alternative investments. The goals of operational due diligence process are to:

•Evaluate risk: Determine whether an investment meets our operational due diligence standards

•Mitigate risk: Seek to avoid losses and reputational risks arising from operational issues

•Structure investments: Evaluate the legal and governance structure and terms of investment

• Enhance terms: Negotiate improved terms

In seeking to achieve these goals, the team performs three main assessments: (i) third-party conducted background investigations, (ii) operational capabilities and internal controls review, and (iii) legal and structuring review. The nature and extent of operational due diligence procedures performed varies depending on the structure of the investment and negotiation.

Committee Approvals

Upon completion of comprehensive due diligence, prospective investments are submitted for approval to the relevant investment committee. Members of the investment committee receive a memorandum prior to the team’s presentation. Following a presentation by the team, members of the investment committee discuss the pros and cons of the investment recommendation. An investment must be approved by a majority vote of the investment committee.

For operational due diligence, the operational due diligence team prepares an information packet, which details its findings. The team presents the investment to the operations committee for approval. Investments must be approved by a majority vote of the operations committee. Our operations committee reviews investment opportunities independently from the investments team and provides approval as part of their standard review process.

Monitoring

While careful investment selection is crucial, once an investment is made, monitoring and on-going involvement is critical to maintaining appropriate oversight controls and achieving our objectives. To this end, monitoring is an integral part of our investment process. We employ a hands-on approach to monitoring investments from an investment and operational perspective.

Investment monitoring. Senior members of the team assigned to an investment remain actively involved and closely monitor each investment through its exit. Such monitoring involves in-depth qualitative and quantitative reviews of the investment on a regular basis.

Operational monitoring. The Operational Due Diligence Team also employs a comprehensive operational monitoring program, which is separate and distinct from the investment team’s investment monitoring program. The goal of our operational monitoring program is to monitor and manage, on an ongoing basis, operational risks associated with the investments on which they provided initial operational due diligence. We seek to identify “change events” that cause us to re-underwrite portions of our due diligence and re-evaluate the investment.

Investment Performance

The following tables present information relating to the performance of all the investments made by GCM Grosvenor (except as mentioned otherwise in more detail below) across both the private markets and absolute return strategies. The data for these investments is presented from the date indicated through September 30, 2020 for private markets strategies and through December 31, 2020 for absolute return strategies and have not been adjusted to reflect acquisitions or disposals of investments subsequent to that date.

When considering the data presented below, you should note that the historical results of our discretionary investments are not indicative of the future results you should expect from such investments, from any future investment funds we may raise or from any investment in our Class A common stock or warrants, in part because:

•market conditions and investment opportunities during previous periods may have been significantly more favorable for generating positive performance than those we may experience in the future;

•the performance of our investment programs is generally calculated on the basis of net asset value of the funds’ investments, including unrealized gains, which may never be realized;

•our historical returns derive largely from the performance of our earlier investment programs, whereas future returns will depend increasingly on the performance of our newer investment programs or investment programs not yet formed;

•our newly established investment programs may generate lower returns during the period that they take to deploy their capital;

•in recent years, there has been increased competition for investment opportunities resulting from the increased amount of capital invested in alternative investment strategies and high liquidity in debt markets, and the increased competition for investments may reduce our returns in the future; and

•the performance of particular investment programs also will be affected by risks of the industries and businesses in which they invest.

For purposes of the following tables:

•“Commitments” are the sum of total commitments and investments made by our portfolios to underlying investments of a particular strategy;

•“Contributions” are the sum of total amount of capital invested by our portfolios in underlying investments of a particular strategy, plus capitalized expenses paid in respect of such investments;

•“Current Value” and “Net Asset Value” of a strategy represent the latest aggregate fair value of the underlying investments in such strategy made by our portfolios, which is typically reported by the underlying investment managers of such investments. No assurance can be given as to the value that may ultimately be realized by any investment;

•“Distributions” are the sum of recallable and non-recallable returns of capital, interest, gains and dividend proceeds to our portfolios received from underlying investments. Distributions may include in-kind distributions at the value reported by the managers, if applicable;

•“Investment Net IRR” represents the net internal rate of return of our portfolios’ investments in the relevant strategy and reflects the total combined IRR for underlying investments that have been invested in by our portfolios in the relevant strategy. It is calculated using all the outflows to and inflows from the underlying investments, including cash flows for expenses and fees paid by our portfolios to those underlying investments. Performance information for underlying investments with less than 365 days of cash flows has not been annualized. Performance information for underlying investments and underlying investment sub-totals with more than 365 days of cash flows has been calculated using an annualized IRR. Investment Net IRR is not reduced for our management fees, allocable expenses and carried interest, but does reflect such reductions, if any, at the underlying investment level;

•“Investment Net TVPI” represents the total value paid-in multiple of our portfolios’ investments in the relevant strategy, and is calculated as adjusted value (i.e., Distributions + Net Asset Value) over total Contributions (i.e., investments, expenses, management fees, organization costs). Investment Net TVPI is not reduced for our management fees, allocable expenses and carried interest, but does reflect such reductions, if any, at the underlying investment level;

•“PMEs” are the S&P 500, the MSCI World Infrastructure, and the FTSE Nareit All REITS indices we present for comparison calculated on a Public Market Equivalent basis. We believe these indices are commonly used by private markets investors to evaluate performance. We use the Long Nickels PME calculation methodology, which allows private markets investment performance to be evaluated against a public index and assumes that capital is being invested in, or withdrawn from, the index on the days the capital was called and distributed from the underlying private market investments. The S&P 500 Index is a total return capitalization-weighted index that measures the performance of 500 U.S. large cap stocks. The MSCI World Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index of over 1,600 world stocks that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets. The FTSE Nareit All REITs Index contains all publicly traded US real estate investment trusts (REITs);

•The “Composite” represents discretionary, globally diversified, multi-strategy, multi-manager investment portfolios (“Composite Funds”) whose capital is allocated to underlying investment managers that utilize a broad range of alternative investment strategies, including credit, relative value, multi-strategy, event driven, equities, macro, commodities and portfolio hedges. All Composite Funds included in the Composite are denominated in

U.S. dollars. In general, the Composite Funds seek to achieve superior long-term, risk-adjusted rates of return with low volatility and low levels of correlation to the broad equity and fixed income markets.

Historical Performance of Private Market Strategies

Realized and Partially Realized Investments As of September 30, 2020

($ in millions, unless otherwise mentioned)

Private Equity

ESG and ImpactStrategies

Labor Impact Investments $ — $ — $ — $ — n/a n/a n/a MSCI World Infrastructure

Note: Returns for each strategy are presented from the date the firm established a dedicated team focused on such strategy through September 30, 2020. Investment net returns are net of investment-related fees and expenses, including fees paid to underlying managers, but do not reflect management fees, incentive compensation, or carried interest to us or any expenses of any account or vehicle we manage. Data does not include investments that were transferred at the request of investors prior to liquidation and are no longer managed by us.

Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

All Investments As of September 30, 2020

($ in millions, unless otherwise mentioned)

Private Equity

ESG and ImpactStrategies

Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

____________

(1)Reflects primary fund investments since 2000. Excludes certain private markets credit fund investments outside of private equity programs.

(2)Reflects secondaries investments since 2014. In September 2014, we established a dedicated private equity secondaries vertical.

(3)Reflects co-investments/direct investments since 2009. In December 2008, we established a dedicated Private Equity Co-Investment Sub-Committee and adopted a more targeted, active co-investment strategy.

(4)Reflects infrastructure investments since 2003. Infrastructure investments exclude labor impact investments.

(5)Reflects real estate investments since 2010. In 2010, we established a dedicated Real Estate team and adopted a more targeted, active real estate strategy.

(6)Since 2007.

Historical Performance of Absolute Return Strategies

Gross Net Gross Net

____________

(1)Absolute Return Strategies (Overall) is since 1996. GCMLP Diversified Multi-Strategy Composite is since 1993.

Assets Under Management

Fee-Paying AUM

FPAUM is a metric we use to measure the assets from which we earn management fees. Our FPAUM comprises the assets in our customized separate accounts and specialized funds from which we derive management fees. We classify customized separate account revenue as management fees if the client is charged an asset-based fee, which includes the vast majority of our discretionary AUM accounts. The FPAUM for our private market strategies typically represents committed, invested or scheduled capital during the investment period and invested capital following the expiration or termination of the investment period. Substantially all of our private markets strategies funds earn fees based on commitments or net invested capital, which are not affected by market appreciation or depreciation. Our FPAUM for our absolute return strategy is based on net asset value.

Our calculations of FPAUM may differ from the calculations of other asset managers, and as a result, this measure may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other asset managers. Our definition of FPAUM is not based on any definition that is set forth in the agreements governing the customized separate accounts or specialized funds that we manage.

As of December 31, 2020, our FPAUM was $52.0 billion compared to $61.9 billion in AUM. The difference between AUM and FPAUM is primarily due to approximately $7.1 billion of contracted capital on which we expect to start charging management fees, under existing contracts, over the course of approximately the next three years as capital is invested or based on an agreed upon fee ramp in schedule. This additional $7.1 billion of capital will bolster our potential FPAUM growth over the next several years. Mark-to-market changes in AUM for funds that charge on commitments is another key difference between our AUM and our FPAUM.

Our overall FPAUM has grown from $44.1 billion as of December 31, 2017 to $52.0 billion as of December 31, 2020, representing a total CAGR of 5.6%, including a CAGR of 9.1% for FPAUM for our private markets strategy during the same period.

Contracted But Not Yet Fee-Paying AUM

Contracted, not yet fee-paying AUM represents limited partner commitments during or prior to the initial commitment or investment period where fees are expected to be charged in the future based on invested capital (capital committed to underlying investments) or on a ratable ramp-in of total commitments. As of December 31, 2020, our contracted but not yet fee-paying AUM was at an all-time high of $7.1 billion, up from $1.9 billion at the end of 2017. Of the $7.1 billion, approximately $3.1 billion is subject to an agreed upon fee ramp in schedule that will result in management fees being charged on approximately $1.3 billion of such amount in 2021, approximately $1.3 billion of such amount in 2022, and the remaining approximately $0.5 billion in 2023 and beyond. With respect to approximately $4.0 billion of the $7.1 billion, management fees will be charged as such capital is invested, which will depend on a number of factors, including the availability of eligible investment opportunities. We expect this capital will turn into FPAUM over the course of approximately the next three years and help drive significant growth from funds already under contract. It is also a strong indication of the momentum with our clients and in our business today, which we anticipate to continue into the future. The following chart summarizes the growth in our FPAUM and Contracted, not yet fee-paying AUM and the breakdown between private markets and absolute return strategies.

FPAUM and Contracted, not yet fee-paying AUM ($bn)

Our Clients

We believe the value proposition we offer and our philosophy that we do well when our clients do well has resulted in strong relationships with our clients. Our client base primarily comprises institutional investors that range from those seeking to make an initial investment in alternative assets to some of the largest and most sophisticated private markets investors. As a highly customized, flexible outsourcing partner, we are equipped to provide investment services to institutional clients of all sizes and with different needs, internal resources and investment objectives. Our clients include prominent institutional investors globally including in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America. As of December 31, 2020, approximately 38% of our AUM came from clients based outside of the Americas, reflecting the strength and breadth of our relationships within the global investor community.

The following charts illustrate the diversification of our client base:

Note: AUM as of December 31, 2020. Management fees for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020.

We believe the stability of our client base reflects the strength of the long-term client relationships we have developed. Further, these relationships help to explain why clients entrust us with their capital for extended periods of time.

Client Group

As of December 31, 2020, our business development, marketing and client service teams consisted of 61 employees. Each member of our business development team is assigned a territory, either domestic or international. Our business development professionals are responsible for relationship management with existing clients and consultants in addition to actively pursuing new business with prospective clients, depending on the territory they are assigned. In addition, each member of the business development team is supported by one or more members of the relationship management support team who help manage ongoing client service and support sales efforts. Certain business development professionals also focus on our consultant relations and Taft-Hartley client efforts.

We evaluate our business development, marketing and client service teams based on a number of factors, including new business won, size of existing book of business, quality of marketing materials generated, timeliness of responses to client inquiries, and their overall activity, measured by the volume of outreach and the progress converting initial outreach to various stages in the sales process. In recent years, we have become increasingly data-driven in our evaluation of performance of our business development professionals by making greater use of technology systems like Salesforce.

Operations

As of December 31, 2020, our operations team consisted of 252 professionals across multiple offices who perform critical functions in support of our corporate, client and investment activities. We have created a strong, institutional-quality internal control environment and are committed to maintaining a robust culture of compliance.

The operations team includes experienced professionals focused on fund finance, investment operations, corporate finance, compliance, legal, information technology, human resources, strategy and corporate development and other support functions. These teams are structured to serve the entirety of our business across the full range of investments strategies and implementation methodologies we offer. We seek to serve as an extension of staff for many our clients and consequently our operations team plays a key function in the servicing of our client relationships.

Fees and Other Key Contractual Terms

Fees vary based on investment strategy, implementation methodology and the size and scope of the client relationship.

Private Markets Strategies

Fees for private markets strategies vary by structure and strategy.

The majority of these programs are closed end structures, and typically fees consist of a management fee rate plus carried interest.

The management fee rate for closed end structures typically include a management fee component that differs by the type of strategy and the type of investment. Fees for primary fund investments are typically about half of those charged for secondary funds and co-investments. Direct investments are typically a further premium to co-investments. The management fee rate also depends on the total fee paying assets of a given client.

The management fee base for a given program can be based on committed capital, invested capital or a ramp-in /ramp-down schedule based on a percent of total committed capital. Some programs may employ one or more of these methodologies.

Carried interest is charged for certain of our private markets programs and varies depending on the implementation methodology. Carried interest is typically charged for secondary, co-investments and direct investments. Receipt of carry is typically subject to an 8% preferred return and 100% catch-up.

We recognize carried interest when it is probable that a significant reversal will not occur and record such amounts as incentive fees. In the event that a payment is made before it can be recognized as revenue, this amount would be included as deferred revenue on our consolidated statements of financial condition and recognized as income in accordance with our revenue recognition policy. The primary contingency regarding incentive fees is the “clawback,” or the obligation to return distributions in excess of the amount prescribed by the applicable fund or separate account documents.

In addition to fees, both our absolute return and private markets programs also typically bear reasonable expenses incurred in connection with their organization. The programs would also bear their operational costs, including the firm’s out-of-pocket expenses associated with identifying, making and monitoring investments, as well as costs associated with legal, audit, tax reporting, accounting, administration (whether performed in-house or by a third-party administrator), our oversight of services performed by a third-party administrator, and insurance.

Absolute Return Strategies

Fees for absolute return strategies are typically charged based on net asset value, which represents the aggregate fair value of the underlying investments in such strategies made by our portfolios (which is typically reported by the underlying investment managers of such investments). Specialized funds either have a set fee for the entire fund or a fee scale through which clients with larger commitments pay a lower fee.

Fees may be either fixed or include both a fixed and a performance fee. For a typical fixed and performance fee structure, the management fee typically is at a discount to the fixed-only fee scale, with the addition of a performance fee, which is a percentage of capital appreciation or profits. Earning the performance fee may be subject to a hurdle, a high watermark and/or a preferred return. The hurdle or preferred return may be a fixed percentage or a spread above a particular benchmark return (e.g., LIBOR or US T-Bills). Similarly, for large relationships, we may adjust the fixed fee component and/or performance fee component based on an analysis of the total economics of the relationship.

Competition

While we compete in various aspects of our business with a large number of asset management firms, commercial banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies and other financial institutions, we believe there are few firms that we compete with in all areas of our business. With respect to our specialized funds, we primarily compete with the private and absolute return investment businesses of a number of large international financial institutions and established local and regional competitors based in the United States, Europe and Asia, including managers offering funds-of-funds, secondary funds and co-investment funds in the alternative investment strategies. Our principal competition for customized separate accounts is mostly other highly specialized and independent alternative asset management firms. We compete primarily in the advisory services area of the business with firms that are regionally based and with a select number of large consulting firms for whom alternative investments is only one, often small, portion of their overall business.

In order to grow our business, we must maintain our existing client base and attract additional clients in customized separate account and specialized fund areas of the business. Historically, we have competed principally on the basis of the factors listed below:

•global access to private markets investment opportunities through our size, scale, reputation and strong relationships with fund managers;

•brand recognition and reputation within the investing community;

•performance of investment strategies;

•quality of service and duration of client relationships;

•data and analytics capabilities;

•ability to customize product offerings to client specifications;

•transparent organizational structure;

•ability to provide cost effective and comprehensive range of services and products; and

•clients’ perceptions of our independence and the alignment of our interests with theirs created through our investment in our own products.

The asset management business is intensely competitive, and in addition to the above factors, our ability to continue to compete effectively will depend upon our ability to attract highly qualified investment professionals and retain existing employees.

Legal and Compliance

Our general counsel oversees our legal team, which is comprised of attorneys located primarily in our corporate headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. Our legal team is responsible for our corporate matters and proprietary transactions, as well as issues related to employment, litigation and U.S. and non-U.S. regulation. It is also responsible for legal and structuring issues associated with investments in private equity, infrastructure, real estate, alternative credit and absolute return strategies, as well as structuring and negotiating documents relating to our specialized funds and our customized separate accounts, including any client-related legal matters related thereto. We utilize the services of outside counsel as we deem necessary.

Our compliance team is led by our global chief compliance officer. The compliance team is responsible for ensuring we maintain a robust compliance program that ensures we comply with the various federal, state, and international regulations applicable to our business. Our compliance team works closely with our legal team to ensure our policies, processes, and disclosures are in line with those ever evolving rules, and regulations, and industry practices. In addition, our compliance team is responsible for regulatory matters relating to GRV Securities, LLC (“GRV Securities”), a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) registered and FINRA member broker-dealer affiliate. GRV Securities is subject to the requirements and regulations as an SEC-registered broker-dealer and a member firm of FINRA that cover multiple aspects of its business, including licensing, registration, sales practices, recordkeeping and the conduct of directors, officers and employees.

Regulatory Environment

We are subject to extensive regulation by governmental and self-regulatory organizations in the jurisdictions in which we operate around the world, primarily at the federal level in the United States. Since October 17, 1997, we have been registered with the SEC as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. In addition, among other rules and regulations, we are subject to regulation by the Department of Labor under the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). As a registered commodity pool operator and a registered commodity trading advisor, we are subject to regulation and oversight by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). We are also subject to regulation and oversight by the National Futures Association (“NFA”) in the U.S., as well as other regulatory bodies. By virtue of certain of our activities, we are subject to the reporting provisions of the Exchange Act.

SEC and FINRA Regulation

As a registered adviser, we are subject to the requirements of the Advisers Act and the SEC’s regulations thereunder, as well as to examination by the SEC’s staff. The Advisers Act is designed to protect investment advisory clients and, consequently, imposes substantive regulation on most aspects of our advisory business and our relationship with our clients. Applicable requirements relate to, among other things, disclosure and reporting obligations, maintaining an effective compliance program and appointing a chief compliance officer, fiduciary duties to clients, engaging in transactions with clients, client solicitation arrangements, disclosing and managing conflicts of interest, using promotional materials, and recordkeeping. The Advisers Act regulates the assignment of advisory contracts by the investment advisor. The SEC is authorized to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations of the Advisers Act, ranging from fines and censures to termination of an investment advisor’s registration. If we are unable to comply with the requirements of the Advisers Act or the SEC it could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our affiliated U.S. broker-dealer GRV Securities is registered with the SEC as a broker-dealer and is a member of FINRA and accordingly is subject to Exchange Act and FINRA rules and regulations that cover all aspects of its business, including sales practices, recordkeeping and the conduct of directors, officers and employees. GRV Securities is also specifically required to maintain a certain minimum level of net capital under Exchange Act and FINRA rules. The SEC and FINRA are authorized to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations of the Exchange Act and FINRA rules, ranging from fines and censures to termination of a broker-dealer’s registration. If we are unable to comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act, SEC, or FINRA, it could have a material adverse effect on us.

CFTC Regulation

As a registered commodity pool operator and registered commodity trading adviser, we are subject to the requirements of the Commodity Exchange Act and the CFTC’s regulations thereunder, as well as to examination by the staff of the NFA. In general, most of our funds are deemed exempt from many of the provisions of the CEA as such funds either have de minimis futures contracts and swaps exposure or operate as fund-of-funds.

ERISA-Related Regulation

Some of our funds are treated as holding “plan assets” as defined under ERISA, as a result of investments in those funds by benefit plan investors. By virtue of our role as investment manager of these funds, we are a “fiduciary” under ERISA with respect to such benefit plan investors. ERISA and the Code, impose certain duties on persons that are fiduciaries under ERISA, prohibit certain transactions involving benefit plans and “parties in interest” or “disqualified persons” to those plans, and provide monetary penalties for violations of these prohibitions. With respect to these funds, we rely on particular statutory and administrative exemptions from certain ERISA prohibited transactions, which exemptions are highly complex and may in certain circumstances depend on compliance by third parties whom we do not control. If we fail to comply with these various requirements, it could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, with respect to other investment funds in which benefit plan investors have invested, but which are not treated as holding “plan assets,” we rely on certain rules under ERISA in conducting investment management activities. These rules are sometimes highly complex and may in certain circumstances depend on compliance by third parties that we do not control. If for any reason these rules were to become inapplicable, we could become subject to regulatory action or third-party claims that could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Foreign Regulation

We provide investment advisory and other services and raise funds in a number of countries and jurisdictions outside the United States. In many of these countries and jurisdictions, which include the European Union (“EU”), the EEA, the individual member states of each of the EU and EEA, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and the U.K., we and our operations, and in some cases our personnel, are subject to regulatory oversight and requirements. In general, these requirements relate to registration, licenses for our personnel, periodic inspections, the provision and filing of periodic reports, and obtaining certifications and other approvals. Across the EU, we are subject to the European Union Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (“AIFMD”) requirements regarding, among other things, registration for marketing activities, the structure of remuneration for certain of our personnel and reporting obligations. Individual member states of the EU have imposed additional requirements that may include internal arrangements with respect to risk management, liquidity risks, asset valuations, and the establishment and security of depository and custodial requirements.

The application of some of these requirements and regulations to our business will change in connection with the exit of the U.K. from the EU, which became official at January 31, 2020. Brexit triggered the commencement of a transitional period that ended on December 31, 2020, during which, despite the UK no longer being an EU member state, EU law continued to apply in the UK as it did pre-Brexit, with firms remaining free to continue passporting services between the UK and member states of the EU. The transitional period expired on December 31, 2020. The U.K. and EU ratified a trade deal shortly before the end of the transitional period, but that trade deal does not include provision for U.K. regulated firms to continue to be able to passport their services into EU member states, meaning there will be direct implications to our business. For example, our subsidiaries that are authorized and regulated by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority have lost “passporting” privileges under certain EU directives, such as the AIFMD and the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (“MiFID II”), which certain of our specialized funds and customized separate accounts have relied upon for access to markets throughout the EU. In preparation for this outcome, we worked with a third-party alternative investment fund manager (“AIFM”) based in Luxembourg to replace, prior to Brexit, our U.K.-based AIFM for our funds and certain customized separate accounts for the EU. While we believe that taking this step will help to ensure that we are able to continue to conduct business in the U.K. and the EU after Brexit, there remains some uncertainty as to the full extent to which our business could be adversely affected by, among other things, the legal status of the U.K. in relation to the EU, the political conditions in the U.K., the trade relations of the U.K. vis-à-vis other countries and the economic outlook in the U.K. In addition, further cost and complexity of operating in the UK may arise from the potential gradual divergence between the UK’s and EU’s regulatory frameworks, as whilst the UK will incorporate certain EU legislation in to UK law from the end of the transition period, this is subject to certain amendments by the UK and, at the same time, any change to the EU regulatory framework post-transitional period, will not be automatically incorporated into UK law.

In Japan, we are subject to regulation by the Japanese Financial Services Agency and the Kanto Local Finance Bureau. In Hong Kong, we are subject to regulation by the Hong Kong Securities & Futures Commission.

Regulations Related to Our Funds

Agencies that regulate investment advisers and broker-dealers, including the SEC, have broad administrative powers, including the power to limit, restrict or prohibit an investment adviser such as us or a broker-dealer such as GRV Securities from carrying on its business in the event that it fails to comply with applicable laws and regulations. Our failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations could result in fines, censure, suspensions of personnel or other sanctions, including revocation of the registration of our subsidiary as an investment adviser or the revocation of the registration of GRV Securities as a broker-dealer.

The sale of securities in the U.S. generally requires registration under the Securities Act, unless an exemption from registration is available. Non-U.S. jurisdictions generally have similar requirements. Our funds either have sold, or currently sell, their securities without registration under applicable securities laws. For securities offerings to U.S. investors, our funds conduct non-public offerings in reliance on Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and/or Rule 506 of Regulation D under the Securities Act. Regulation D requires that an offering comply with certain conditions, including that each offeree satisfies a net worth or income requirement or is otherwise sophisticated and that the issuer not engage in any general solicitation or general advertising. For securities offerings to non-U.S. investors, our funds generally rely on the exemption for offshore offers and sales provided by Regulation S under the Securities Act, as well as on various exemptions in non-U.S. jurisdictions that generally restrict offers to high-net worth or qualified institutional investors or otherwise limit the manner of offering. We believe that the securities offerings by our funds comply, and have complied, with applicable laws. In some cases, compliance depends in part on the activities of third parties whom we do not control.

In the U.S. and many other jurisdictions, investment funds are generally subject to significant regulation designed to protect investors, although various exemptions from some or all of such regulations may be available. In the U.S., the Investment Company Act imposes substantive regulation on virtually all aspects of a registered investment company’s operation, including limitations on borrowing and leveraged capital structures, requiring that it be managed by a board of directors (or similar body), a majority of whom are not interested persons of the fund or its adviser, prohibitions on most transactions with affiliates, compliance program requirements, limitations on the payment of performance fees to advisers, and advertising, recordkeeping, reporting and disclosure requirements. Other countries’ laws may impose similar or more restrictive regulations.

Domestically, other than our funds that are registered investment companies with the SEC, our funds rely on exemptions from Investment Company Act registration and regulation requirements, which require that our funds not engage in a public offering of their securities, and generally require either that each of our funds have no more than 100 investors or that they limit their investors to persons or entities who have substantial investment portfolios ($5 million in the case of a natural person) or are our knowledgeable personnel.

Our funds that admit only non-U.S. investors rely on various exemptions from applicable investment fund registration and regulation available in non-U.S. jurisdictions, which exemptions generally require that our offshore funds only admit high-net worth or qualified institutional investors or otherwise limit the types of investors who may invest. To the extent they admit U.S. investors, our offshore funds must apply the same criteria to these investors as our domestic funds apply to their investors in order to be exempt from registration and regulation under the Investment Company Act.

We believe that our funds comply, and have complied, with applicable exemptions from registration and regulation under the Investment Company Act and applicable non-U.S. laws.

Available Information

We file electronically with the SEC our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and other information. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. We make available on our website at www.gcmgrosvenor.com, free of charge, copies of these reports and any amendments as soon as reasonably practicable after filing or furnishing them with the SEC.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

In the course of conducting our business operations, we are exposed to a variety of risks. These risks are generally inherent to the alternative asset management industry or otherwise generally impact alternative asset managers like us. Any of the risk factors we describe below have affected or could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The market price of shares of our Class A common stock could decline, possibly significantly or permanently, if one or more of these risks and uncertainties occurs. Certain statements in “Risk Factors” are forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Statements.”

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

The historical performance of our funds should not be considered as indicative of the future results of our operations or any returns expected on an investment in our Class A common stock; however, poor performance of our funds, or lack of growth in our assets under management, could have a materially adverse impact on our revenues, and, consequently, the returns on our Class A common stock.

An investment in our Class A common stock is not an investment in any of our funds and is not linked to the historical or future performance of our funds. However, the success and growth of our business is highly dependent upon the performance of our funds.

Positive performance of our funds will not necessarily result in the holders of our Class A common stock experiencing a corresponding positive return on their Class A common stock. However, poor performance of our funds could cause a decline in our revenues as a result of reduced management fees and incentive fees from such funds, and may therefore have a materially adverse impact on our performance and the returns on an investment in our Class A common stock.

If we fail to meet the expectations of our clients or our funds otherwise experience poor investment performance, whether due to general economic and financial conditions, our investment acumen or otherwise, our ability to retain existing assets under management and attract new clients could be materially adversely affected. In turn, the management fees and incentive fees that we would earn would be reduced and our business or financial condition would suffer, thus negatively impacting the price of our Class A common stock. Furthermore, even if the investment performance of our funds is positive, our business or financial condition and the price of our Class A common stock could be materially adversely affected if we are unable to attract and retain additional assets under management consistent with our past experience, industry trends or investor and market expectations.

Investors in our open-ended, specialized funds may generally redeem their investments in these funds on a periodic basis. Investors in most of our closed-ended, specialized funds may terminate the commitment periods of these funds or otherwise cause our removal as general partner of these funds under certain circumstances. Our customized separate account clients may generally terminate our management of these relationships on short notice. Any of these events would lead to a decrease in our revenues, which could be substantial.

Investors in our open-ended, specialized funds may generally redeem their investments on an annual or quarterly basis following the expiration of a specified period of time when capital may not be withdrawn, subject to the applicable fund’s specific redemption provisions. In addition, the boards of directors of the investment companies we manage could terminate our advisory engagement of those companies on as little as 30 days’ prior written notice. In a declining market, the pace of redemptions from our open-ended, specialized funds, and consequently our assets under management, may accelerate as investors seek to limit the losses on their investments or rely upon the liquidity provided by our funds in order to satisfy other obligations these investors may have elsewhere in their portfolios. To the extent appropriate and permissible under a fund’s governing agreements, we may limit or suspend redemptions or otherwise take steps to limit the impact of redemptions on our funds during a redemption period, which may have a negative reputational impact on us. See “— Risks Related to Our Funds — Hedge fund investments are subject to numerous additional risks.” The decrease in revenues that would result from significant redemptions in our open-ended, specialized funds could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the occurrence of such an event would likely have a negative reputational impact on us.

The governing agreements of most of our closed-ended, specialized funds provide that, subject to certain conditions, investors comprising a certain percentage of commitments to these funds, which may be as low as 75%, have the right to suspend or terminate the commitment periods of these funds or cause our removal as general partner and investment manager of these funds without cause. The termination or suspension of a fund’s commitment period or our removal as general partner of a fund would result in loss of management fee revenues and potentially some or all of any carried interest to which we may otherwise have been entitled to receive. The decrease in these revenues could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the occurrence of such an event would likely have a negative reputational impact on us.

Our customized separate account clients may generally terminate our management of these relationships without cause, request the orderly liquidation of investments of these portfolios or transfer some or all of the investments in these portfolios directly to the client or some other third-party, on as little as 30 days’ prior written notice. The occurrence of such an event would result in a loss of management fee revenues to which we may otherwise have been entitled to receive. The decrease in these revenues could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the occurrence of such an event would likely have a negative reputational impact on us.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions in the U.S. and global economies and may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led much of the world to institute stay-at-home orders, restrictions on travel, bans on public gatherings, the closing of non-essential businesses or limiting their hours of operation and other restrictions on businesses and their operations, which has adversely impacted global commercial activity and contributed to significant volatility and a downturn in global financial markets. While some of these restrictions are being relaxed or lifted in an effort to generate more economic activity, the risk of future COVID-19 outbreaks remains, and jurisdictions may reimpose restrictions in an effort to mitigate risks to public health. Moreover, even where restrictions are and remain lifted, the absence of viable treatment options and the length of time needed to vaccinate a significant segment of the global population could lead people to continue to self-isolate and not participate in the economy at pre-pandemic levels for a prolonged period of time. As a result, we are unable to predict the ultimate adverse impact of the pandemic, but it has affected, and may further affect, our business in various ways, including the following:

•We operate our business globally, with clients and offices across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. The ability to easily travel and meet with prospective and current clients in person helps build and strengthen our relationships with them in ways that telephone and video conferences may not always afford. In addition, the ability of our employees to conduct their daily work in our offices helps to ensure a level of productivity that may not be achieved when coming to the office every day is not an option. Further, our investment strategies target opportunities globally. Restrictions on travel and public gatherings as well as stay-at-home orders mean that most of our client and prospect meetings are not currently taking place in person, and the vast majority of our employees are working from home. As a consequence, our ability to market our funds and raise new business has been impeded (which may result in lower or delayed revenue growth), it has become more difficult to conduct due diligence on investments (which can impede the identification of investment risks) and an extended period of remote working by our employees could strain our technology resources and introduce operational risks, including heightened cybersecurity risk, as remote working environments can be less secure and more susceptible to hacking attacks.

• A slowdown in fundraising activity has in the past resulted in delayed or decreased management fees and could result in delayed or decreased management fees in the future compared to prior periods. In addition, in light of declines in public equity markets and other components of their investment portfolios, investors may become restricted by their asset allocation policies to invest in new or successor funds that we provide, or may be prohibited by new laws or regulations from funding existing commitments. We may also experience a slowdown in the deployment of our capital, which could also adversely affect our ability to raise capital for new or successor funds.

•To the extent the market dislocation caused by COVID-19 may present attractive investment opportunities due to increased volatility in the financial markets, we may not be able to complete those investments, which could impact revenues, particularly for our funds that charge fees on invested capital.

•Our liquidity and cash flows may be adversely impacted by declines or delays in realized incentive fees and management fee revenues.

•Our funds invest in industries that have been materially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including healthcare, travel, entertainment, hospitality and retail. Companies in these industries are facing operational and financial hardships resulting from the pandemic, and if conditions do not improve, they could continue to suffer materially, become insolvent or cease operations altogether, any of which would decrease the value of the investments.

•COVID-19 presents a threat to our employees’ well-being and morale. If our senior management or other key personnel become ill or are otherwise unable to perform their duties for an extended period of time, we may experience a loss of productivity or a delay in the implementation of certain strategic plans. In addition to any potential impact of such extended illness on our operations, we may be exposed to the risk of litigation by our employees against us for, among other things, failure to take adequate steps to protect their well-being,

particularly in the event they become sick after a return to the office. Further, local COVID-19-related laws can be subject to rapid change depending on public health developments, which can lead to confusion and make compliance with laws uncertain and subject us to increased risk of litigation for non-compliance.

•We anticipate that regulatory oversight and enforcement will become more rigorous for public companies in general, and for the financial services industry in particular, as a result of the recent volatility in the financial markets.

We believe COVID-19’s adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations will be significantly driven by a number of factors that we are unable to predict or control, including, for example: the severity and duration of the pandemic, including the timing of vaccination of a significant segment of the global population or the availability of a treatment for COVID-19; the pandemic’s impact on the U.S. and global economies; the timing, scope and effectiveness of additional governmental responses to the pandemic; the timing and path of economic recovery; and the negative impact on our clients, counterparties, vendors and other business partners that may indirectly adversely affect us.

Our business and financial condition may be materially adversely impacted by the variable nature of our revenues, and in particular the performance-based aspect of certain of our revenues and cash flows, which may make it difficult for us to achieve steady earnings growth on a quarterly basis and may lead to large adverse movements or general increased volatility in the price of our Class A common stock.

Our revenues are influenced by the combination of the amount of assets under management and the investment performance of our funds. Asset flows, whether inflows or outflows, can be variable from month-to-month and quarter-to-quarter. Furthermore, our funds’ investment performance, which affects the amount of assets under management and the management fees we may earn in a given year, can be volatile due to, among other things, general market and economic conditions. Accordingly, our revenues and cash flows may be variable.

Our cash flow may fluctuate significantly from quarter-to-quarter due to the fact that we receive carried interest distributions from certain of our funds only when investments are realized and, in certain cases, achieve a certain preferred return based on performance. In most cases, for our funds where we are entitled to receive carried interest distributions, an element of our revenues, it takes a substantial period of time to realize the cash value (or other proceeds) of an investment. Even if an investment proves to be profitable, it may be a number of years before any profits can be realized in cash (or other proceeds). We cannot predict when, or if, any realization of investments will occur, and thus, we cannot predict the timing or amounts of carried interest distributions to us. If we were to receive a carried interest distribution in a particular quarter, it may have a significant impact on our results for that particular quarter, which may not be replicated in subsequent quarters.

We are entitled to performance-based fees in respect of certain of our funds that are based on a percentage of unrealized profit, typically over a “high water-mark,” on an annual or more frequent basis. Typically, these performance-based fees are paid to us by our funds during the first quarter of each year which is subsequent to when they are earned, even though our funds may accrue a performance-based fee prior to the date it is paid.

As a result, achieving steady earnings growth on a quarterly basis may be difficult, which could in turn lead to large adverse movements or general increased volatility in the price of our Class A common stock.

The industry in which we operate is intensely competitive. If we are unable to compete successfully, our business and financial condition could be adversely affected.

The industry in which we operate is intensely competitive, with competition based on a variety of factors, including investment performance, the scope and the quality of service provided to clients, brand recognition, business reputation and price. Our business competes with a number of private equity funds, specialized investment funds, solutions providers and other sponsors managing pools of capital, as well as corporate buyers, traditional asset managers, commercial banks, investment banks and other financial institutions (including sovereign wealth funds), and we expect that competition will continue to increase. For example, certain traditional asset managers have developed their own private equity platforms and are marketing other asset allocation strategies as alternatives to hedge fund investments. Additionally, developments in financial technology, such as distributed ledger technology, commonly referred to as blockchain, have the potential to disrupt the financial industry and change the way financial institutions, as well as asset managers, do business. A number of factors serve to increase our competitive risks:

•a number of our competitors have greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources and more personnel than we do;

•some of our competitors have recently raised, or are expected to raise, significant amounts of capital, and many of them have investment objectives similar to ours, which may create additional competition for investment opportunities that our funds seek to exploit;

•some of our funds may not perform as well as competitors’ funds or other available investment products;

•several of our competitors have significant amounts of capital, and many of them have similar investment objectives to ours, which may create additional competition for investment opportunities and may reduce the size and duration of pricing inefficiencies that many alternative investment strategies seek to exploit;

•some of our competitors may have a lower cost of capital, which may be exacerbated to the extent potential changes to the Code limit the deductibility of interest expense;

•some of our competitors may have access to funding sources that are not available to us, which may create competitive disadvantages for us with respect to investment opportunities;

•some of our competitors may be subject to less regulation and accordingly may have more flexibility to undertake and execute certain businesses or investments than we can and/or bear less compliance expense than we do;

•some of our competitors may have more flexibility than us in raising certain types of investment funds under the investment management contracts they have negotiated with their investors;

•some of our competitors may have better expertise or be regarded by investors as having better expertise in a specific asset class or geographic region than we do; and

•other industry participants may, from time to time, seek to recruit our investment professionals and other employees away from us.

We may find it harder to retain and raise funds, and we may lose investment opportunities in the future, if we do not match the prices, structures and terms offered by our competitors. We may not be able to maintain our current fee structures as a result of industry pressure from investors to reduce fees. In order to maintain our desired fee structures in a competitive environment, we must be able to continue to provide clients with investment returns and service that incentivize them to pay our desired fee rates. We cannot assure you that we will succeed in providing investment returns and service that will allow us to maintain our desired fee structure. Fee reductions on existing or future new business could have a material adverse effect on our profit margins and results of operations.

A decline in the pace or size of fundraising or investments made by us on behalf of our funds may adversely affect our revenues.

Our revenues in any given period are dependent in part on the size of our FPAUM in such period. For our closed-ended funds, the revenues that we earn are driven in part by the amount of capital invested or committed for investment by our clients, our fundraising efforts and the pace at which we make investments on behalf of certain of our funds. A decline in the pace or the size of fundraising efforts or investments may reduce our revenues. The alternative asset investing environment continues to see increased competition, which can make fundraising and the deployment of capital more difficult. In addition, many other factors could cause a decline in the pace of investment, including the inability of our investment professionals to identify attractive investment opportunities, decreased availability of capital on attractive terms and our failure to consummate identified investment opportunities because of business, regulatory or legal complexities or uncertainty and adverse developments in the U.S. or global economy or financial markets. In addition, if we are unable to deploy capital at a pace that is sufficient to offset the pace of realizations that we return to our clients, our fee revenues could decrease.

The nature of closed-ended funds involves the perpetual return of capital to investors. This return of capital to investors in our funds reduces our FPAUM. Hence, we are perpetually seeking to raise investment commitments in order to replace the return of capital to clients from existing funds. Given the competitive nature of the alternative asset management business, following a return of capital to a client, we may lose them as a client as a result of client-specific changes such as a change in such client’s ownership, control or senior management, a client’s decision to transition to in-house asset management rather than partner with a third-party provider such as us, competition from other financial advisors and financial institutions and other causes. Moreover, a number of our contracts with state government-sponsored clients are secured through such government’s mandated procurement processes, which may include a broad and competitive bidding process for subsequent engagements. If multiple clients failed to renew their investment commitments with us and we were unable to secure new clients, our fee revenues would decline materially. Finally, we cannot assure you that we will be able to replace returned capital with investment commitments that generate the same revenues as the returned capital.

We could suffer losses if our reputation or the reputation of our industry is harmed.

Our business is highly competitive and we benefit from being highly regarded in our industry. Maintaining our reputation is critical to attracting and retaining fund investors and for maintaining our relationships with our regulators. Negative publicity regarding our company or our personnel could give rise to reputational risk which could significantly harm our existing business and business prospects.

In addition, events that damage the reputation of our industry generally, such as the insolvency or bankruptcy of large funds or a significant number of funds or highly publicized incidents of fraud or other scandals, could have a material adverse effect on our business, regardless of whether any of these events directly relate to our funds or the investments made by our funds.

We are subject to numerous conflicts of interest that are both inherent to our business and industry and particular to us. Our failure to deal appropriately with conflicts of interest could damage our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We currently provide or may in the future provide a broad spectrum of financial services, including investment advisory, broker-dealer, asset management, loan origination, capital markets, special purpose acquisition company sponsorship and idea generation. As we have expanded and as we continue to expand our business, we increasingly confront potential conflicts of interest relating to our funds’ investment activities. Investment manager conflicts of interest continue to be a significant area of focus for regulators and the media. Because of our size and the variety of investment strategies that we pursue for our funds, we may face a higher degree of scrutiny compared with investment managers that are smaller or focus on fewer asset classes.

GCMG US Equity

GCMG · 10-K · period ended 2020-12-31

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

GCMG US Equity☆

GCMG · 10-K · period ended 2020-12-31

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

GCMG US Equity