Our Culture

What you believe and what you value as an organization matters. Discover the DNA of our firm.

Our People

Get to know our teams and the stories of select staff members who share why they choose to work at Sands Capital.

News & Events

Read about some of the latest events, partnerships, and business highlights from Sands Capital.

Careers

At Sands Capital, we strive to hire exceptional talent who will live our values and support our efforts to deliver on our mission.

The combination of software and the move to cloud computing remains one of the largest secular growth trends we see, which is driving increased demand for scalable, cloud-based solutions across every sector of the economy.

In this episode of What Matters Most, we delve deep into the world of online sports betting, focusing on the global leader, Flutter. Research Analyst Katherine Bates joins us to discuss Flutter’s journey, its innovative strategies, and how it’s transforming the gambling landscape.

At Sands Capital we encourage our investment team to think in decades not quarters. Director of Research Michael Raab, CFA discusses how culture can support the visionary research needed to find businesses creating the future.

Nu Holdings’ Nubank focuses on driving financial inclusion among underbanked populations who lack sufficient access to mainstream financial services and products, including access to common banking services, such as credit cards or loans.

Philosophy & Approach

Our philosophy is rooted in the belief that, over time, stock prices will reflect the earnings power and growth of the underlying businesses.

Our latest annual report offers a comprehensive view of how we add value through active stewardship.

Public Equity

Our newest strategy takes an unconstrained approach to seeking the best growth businesses outside of the U.S.

Venture & Growth Equity

Sands Capital invests in innovative businesses across all stages of the growth spectrum

Brian Christiansen, CFA

Sr. Portfolio Manager
Research Analyst
Executive Managing Director

Joined Sands Capital

2006

Work Experience

Sands Capital (2021 - 2022)
Arlington, VA | Sr. Portfolio Manager, Research Analyst, Director of Stewardship, Executive Managing Director

Sands Capital (2018 - 2021)
Arlington, VA | Sr. Portfolio Manager, Research Analyst, Executive Managing Director

Sands Capital (2012 - 2017)
Arlington, VA | Portfolio Manager, Research Analyst

Sands Capital (2008 - 2012)
Arlington, VA | Research Analyst

Sands Capital (2006 - 2008)
Arlington, VA | Research Associate

Education

Yale University
MBA | School of Management (2009)
BA | Economics (2005)

Brian is a senior portfolio manager, research analyst, and executive managing director at Sands Capital. He joined Sands Capital in 2006 as a research associate, covering life sciences, after completing the first year of the MBA program at the Yale School of Management as a Silver Scholar. In 2008, Brian returned to complete the second year of the MBA program while continuing to work part time for Sands Capital. Following the completion of his MBA, he resumed working full time and rejoined as a research analyst, covering life sciences.

In 2011, Brian became a co-portfolio manager of the Emerging Markets Growth strategy. In 2017, he was promoted to senior portfolio manager, and he was named as a director on the executive management team, which provides strategic leadership across the firm, in 2018. He became a co-portfolio manager on the Global Growth strategy in 2020 and was named director of stewardship in 2021. He served in this role until 2023, when a senior analyst on the stewardship team succeeded him.

In addition to receiving an MBA from the Yale School of Management, Brian also received a BA in economics from Yale University. He is a CFA® charterholder.

Investment Culture
Fostering Long-term Thinking
Executive Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager Brian Christiansen discusses the importance of candor, collaboration, and entrepreneurialism in creating a culture that promotes long-term thinking.
Investment Strategy
Insights Gained from Past Downturns
Sands Capital portfolio managers reflect on five powerful lessons they have learned while investing through past downturns.
Investment Strategy
EM Still Works
Selective active managers should still be able to find value in emerging markets by looking beyond the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Discover why headwinds that have pressured the asset class are likely to abate.
Investment Strategy
EM Isn't Broken
Senior Portfolio Manager Brian Christiansen discusses what should we expect going forward from emerging markets and why active management matters.

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