We are Engine No. 1 — an investment firm purpose-built to create long-term value by harnessing the power of capitalism. We believe a company’s performance is greatly enhanced by the investments it makes in workers, communities, and the environment. We believe that over time the interests of Main Street and Wall Street align, and we can engage as active owners to create value by focusing on this alignment. Join us
A New Way of Seeing Value.
We share an emerging view of value creation. One that takes into account a company’s impact and the ways that impact drives shareholder value. Over the long-term, we believe shareholder and stakeholder interests converge, and companies that invest in their stakeholders are better, stronger companies as a result.
We are investors and builders who believe that you have to engage to effect change.
Chris James
Prior to founding Engine No. 1, Chris founded and built asset heavy companies in industries in transition located in Illinois, Louisiana, and Texas. He has also been an investor in the technology sector for nearly three decades, including as the founder of Partner Fund Management and co-founder of Andor Capital Management.
Charlie Penner
Charlie focuses on enhancing value within companies through active shareholder engagement. Prior to Engine No. 1, he was a Partner at JANA Partners LLC, where he most recently led the firm’s impact investing effort.
Jennifer Grancio
Jennifer has over 20 years of financial services industry experience, having previously served as a founder and senior executive within BlackRock’s iShares business. She is on the board of Ethic, a fintech company focused on sustainable investment.
Madeline Hawes
Madeline has advised on early-stage technologies at Google X and Earnin, an Andreessen Horowitz portfolio company. She was previously an investment analyst within Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
Michael O'Leary
Michael was a founding member of Bain Capital Double Impact and an investor with Bain Capital’s private equity funds. He is the author of ‘Accountable: The Rise of Citizen Capitalism.’
Edward Sun
Ed has over 20 years of investment experience, most recently as a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Partner Fund Management, and earlier in his career as co-founder of BlackShip Capital Management and a Partner at Andor Capital Management.
David Swift
David has executed business development, strategic planning, and fundraising initiatives across a wide variety of investment strategies, including at Partner Fund Management where he was responsible for new business initiatives globally.
Yasmin Dahya Bilger
Yasmin has spent her career working across capital markets and asset management businesses. Previously, she helped build J.P. Morgan’s ETF business and ran its product specialist team across U.S. factor-based and market cap strategies.
Jason LaMacchia
Jason has devoted his career to scaling ETF businesses. For over 11 years, he worked as a principal and director within BlackRock’s iShares business, managing large cross-functional product, capital markets, and operations initiatives.
Molly Landes
Molly has over 15 years of experience across senior portfolio management and capital markets at BlackRock, Fidelity, and US Trust. Most recently, she was an international index equity portfolio manager and vice president within BlackRock’s iShares business, managing all aspects of index equity portfolios.
Engine No. 1 in the news
NEW YORK TIMES: The ‘Mean Greens’ Are Forcing Exxon to Clean Up Its Act
– Since the 1990s, the wisest oil-producing countries and companies have regularly reminded themselves of the oil patch adage that the Stone Age did not end because we ran out of stones; it ended because we invented bronze tools. When we did, stone tools became worthless — even though there were still plenty on the ground.
NEW YORK TIMES: How Exxon Lost a Board Battle With a Small Hedge Fund
– Early this year, leaders of Exxon Mobil, the vast oil company descended from the Standard Oil empire, found themselves in an unusual situation: defending the oil giant against a tiny activist investor calling for a major shake-up in the name of climate change. Even more unusually, they were on the back foot
FORBES: EN1 Versus Exxon: This David Wants To Strengthen His Goliath
– I love David vs. Goliath stories. There’s a new David in town, and he’s taking on one of the biggest Goliaths ever: Exxon Mobil XOM +2.8% The name of our idealistic young sling-shooter is Engine No. 1, an amiable name for Chris James’s stakeholder-activist investment fund.
FINANCIAL TIMES: Exxon: a rebellion investors should back
– The Texas headquarters of ExxonMobil and AT&T are less than 20 miles apart. The similarities do not end there. Both are American titans, but have fallen on hard times in recent years. Each faces a reckoning from restive shareholders. AT&T last week walked away from its foray into entertainment to focus on telecoms. Such strategic clarity will be trickier at Exxon.
FORBES: ExxonMobil’s Investor Magical Mystery Tour (Is Waiting To Take You Away!)
– By ignoring the economic realities of climate change, ExxonMobil has been on a path of value destruction for 10 years. This problem can be solved. Shareholders need to vote for all four in a slate of highly qualified board directors with broad energy experience nominated by Engine No 1.
FINANCIAL TIMES: Olive is the New Green in Fighting Climate Change
– If this week is anything to go by, 2021 will be the “Year Of Green”… Meanwhile, ExxonMobil, America’s largest oil major, is considering further cuts to fossil fuel investments and more spending on sustainable technologies.
HBR: Can a Tiny Hedge Fund Push ExxonMobil Towards Sustainability?
– Something interesting is happening among shareholders of the energy giant ExxonMobil, which may usher in a new era in activist investing. A new activist hedge fund, Engine No. 1, is pushing widespread reform at Exxon through its “Reenergize Exxon” campaign.
CNBC: How One Firm could be Leading the Future of ESG Activism
– 17-day-old firm Engine No. 1 is pushing Exxon to invest in more clean energy. CNBC’s Leslie Picker reports on how it differs from traditional ESG activism.
THE DEAL: Ex-Jana, BlackRock Execs Launch ESG Vehicle
– Charlie Penner, a former partner at Barry Rosenstein’s activist fund Jana Partners, joined Engine No. 1, a new environmental, social and governance-focused investor, which also includes experts in PE and ETF investing.
FUNDFIRE: Tech Fund Founder James Embraces Impact Investing with New Firm
– Chris James, the founder of Partner Fund Management and co-founder of Andor Capital Management - formerly one of the largest tech hedge funds - is launching an impact investment firm, Bloomberg reports.
BLOOMBERG: Hedge Fund Veteran Chris James to Start Impact-Investing Firm
– Chris James, who co-founded one of the biggest technology hedge funds in the early 2000s, is starting a firm to invest in companies that have a positive impact on society and the environment.