GQG Partners’ co-founder, chairman, and chief investment officer, Rajiv Jain, has established a distinct position for himself in the global asset management industry. Jain is known for his bold, contrary investments, which benefited him in building a personal net worth of about $4.08 billion while increasing GQG’s assets under management to around $92 billion.
Global Vision and Indian Roots
Born and raised in India, Jain completed his master’s degree in finance at the University of Ajmer after studying accounting at Punjab University in Chandigarh. In 1990, he relocated to the United States to attend the University of Miami to obtain an MBA in finance and international business.
He started working at Vontobel Asset Management in Switzerland in 1994 and progressed to the position of portfolio manager. Jain increased developing market funds from less than $400 million to about $50 billion during his tenure.
The Launch of GQG Partners
In March 2016, leveraging decades of investing acumen, Jain partnered with CEO Tim Carver to launch GQG Partners—short for “Global Quality Growth”—in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The firm’s strategy, known as Forward-Looking Quality, aims to steer clear of speculative bubbles and short-lived trends by investing in high-quality companies that are prepared for long-term growth.
Therefore, by 2021, GQG went public on the Australian Securities Exchange, raising nearly $893 million—the country’s largest IPO that year.
In March 2023, GQG made global headlines with a massive block purchase of about ₹15,446 crore (~$2 billion) in four Adani Group companies—ports, green energy, transmission, and enterprises—taking 2–4% stakes.
Powering Growth and Emerging Market Focus
Jain’s portfolio strategy extends well beyond one block deal. He has made significant investments in India. GQG’s emerging markets funds have doubled their India exposure to nearly $10 billion, focusing on infrastructure, consumer goods, and banking.
His firm is also aggressively investing in GCC markets, deploying over $3 billion across UAE and Saudi firms—spanning banks, utilities, and insurers that are driven by favourable policies, improving capital markets, and corporate earnings. Jain further positioned GQG to be overweight in power utilities and infrastructure, underweight in U.S. technology, and cautious on China and Western Europe.
Principles Over Profits
Throughout the years, Jain has come to believe that investing is a “game of survival”, as losses compound over time. He emphasises preserving capital over chasing outsized wins. His style is concentrated, holding roughly 40–50 stocks in global equity funds, shunning speculative sectors like driverless cars and hypersonic weapons in favour of energy, tobacco, banking, and other companies with firm balance sheets. He also emphasises transparency and accountability. He often invests his own money into the same funds as his clients.
Recognition Earned and Industry Respect
Despite his preference for privacy with no social media presence and minimal TV appearances, Jain has gained recognition within financial circles. In 2012, he earned Morningstar’s Fund Manager of the Year – Global Equities award. In 2023, GQG took home the Global Equities Fund Manager of the Year at Morningstar Australia. Under his leadership, GQG’s AUM climbed from $0 in 2016 to over $113 billion by late 2023.
Investing Ahead of the Curve
Jain is still guiding GQG towards areas like India, the GCC, utilities, and emerging markets where he believes there is lasting value. He reaffirmed GQG’s optimistic stance on infrastructure and emerging economies, as well as its underweight position in U.S. technology, in a May 2025 review.
Rajiv Jain is a model of quiet strength in global finance. He is a thoughtful investor whose long-term, disciplined strategies have changed his firm’s success. Whether through contrarian mega-deals in Adani, strategic investments in India and the GCC, or a strong focus on preserving capital, Jain shows that real impact often comes from calmness instead of chaos. As GQG grows, Jain’s legacy as a billionaire investor, driven by quality, conviction, and purpose, continues to thrive.
