Robert Gardiner, CFA®

Grandeur Peak Tenure

Since inception, 2011

Industry Experience

41 years

Mr. Gardiner is the Chairman, and a co-founder of Grandeur Peak Global Advisors. He served as CEO and Director of Research from 2011 to 2016. He is the champion of the Grandeur Peak Research Process and is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of analysts at Grandeur.

Mr. Gardiner was a senior partner, principal shareholder, and portfolio manager at Wasatch Advisors before founding Grandeur Peak Global Advisors in 2011. He has been in the Investment Management industry since 1981 and involved in managing equity portfolios since 1986. He joined Wasatch as a 16-year-old high school student and was heavily involved in operations before becoming an analyst. Mr. Gardiner was a Director of Wasatch Advisors. From 1994-2007, he served as a member of the Executive Management Team. During Mr. Gardiner’s tenure at Wasatch, the firm grew from 1 to 18 strategies and from $20 million in assets under management (AUM) in 1981 to $11B AUM in 2011. He was also an original Managing Director for Cross Creek Capital, founded in 2006 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wasatch Advisors, investing in late-stage venture.

Mr. Gardiner is a highly acclaimed portfolio manager with numerous recognitions. He was a key team member on the Wasatch Small Cap Growth and Wasatch Core Growth Funds (1986-1995), during a time when Wasatch was considered the pioneer of small cap investing in the United States. He then launched and managed the Wasatch Micro Cap Fund (1995-2006), the Wasatch Small Cap Value Fund (1997-2001), and the Wasatch Micro Cap Value Fund (2003-2005), bringing a value-minded sentiment into a growth-centered firm.

Mr. Gardiner led Wasatch Advisors as it transitioned from being a US-based, small-cap manager to becoming a global-minded asset manager, helping to hire and develop the global research team. He broadened his investment focus as he helped launch the Wasatch Global Opportunities Fund (2008-2011).

Education and Accreditations

CFA charterholder
University of Utah, BA in Physics; BS in Mathematics, minors in Chemistry and French, magna cum laude

Language

French

Lived

France

Mr. Gardiner is taking a three-year sabbatical through June 2025 and is not currently involved in the day-to-day operations of the firm. However, he remains Chairman of the board and continues to lead the quarterly board meetings. He is serving with his wife as mission leaders for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Tampa, Florida area. Mr. Gardiner is a member of the board and major shareholder of Gardiner Properties, a 13-year old, Utah-based real estate development company run by his brother. Mr. Gardiner is Secretary and Treasurer for the Frederick H. Barth Foundation, a private family foundation named after Mr. Gardiner’s father-in-law, created to give back to the global and local community. He has spent over 30 years working with youth and young single adults in his church service.

Robert enjoys spending time with his family. He is an outdoor enthusiast and has enjoyed serving as a leader in both his church and in the community.