Our Firm

van Biema Value Partners was founded in 2004 by former Columbia Business School professor Michael van Biema to provide sophisticated clients access to the widely-overlooked investment opportunities available through small value-oriented fund managers. We believe such capacity-constrained, contrarian managers are ideally positioned to tap a vast universe of opportunities unavailable to larger funds, maximizing their chances of finding quality businesses selling at deep discounts – the lifeblood of value.

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Senior Team Members

Michael van Biema

Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer

Michael van Biema is the founder of van Biema Value Partners, LLC. Prior to establishing the firm, Michael was on the faculty of Columbia Business School from 1992 to 2004 where he taught value investing, general corporate finance, capital markets, securities analysis, and entrepreneurial finance in both the regular and executive MBA programs. He has also served as director of a multi-year, multimillion-dollar research project into productivity in the service sector funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. He received his B.A. from Princeton University in Electrical Engineering and his Ph.D. from Columbia University in Computer Science. Before joining the faculty of Columbia Business School, he was involved in several IT-related startup ventures. Michael is the author of numerous publications including an article in the Harvard Business Review entitled “Managing Productivity in the Service Sector” (Summer 1998), is co-author of the books Value Investing from Graham to Buffett and Beyond (Wiley, June 2001), Concentrated Investing (Wiley 2016), and has lectured internationally on value investing.

Douglas B. Meehan

Deputy Chief Investment Officer

Douglas Meehan is the Deputy Chief Investment Officer of van Biema Value Partners, LLC. Doug joined the firm in May 2012. Previously, he worked as a research analyst at a proprietary securities fund within Sentinel Real Estate Corp., a privately-held real estate investment advisor in New York. Prior to joining Sentinel, he worked as a research analyst with the value-oriented, long/short group at Duma Capital Partners, a multi-strategy hedge fund in New York. Before attending graduate school, he worked in Hanoi, Vietnam, conducting research to obtain the licensing for the region’s Caterpillar dealership, and then as a consultant conducting research on privately owned Vietnamese companies for the International Finance Corporation. Doug received a BA in Philosophy from Columbia University, a PhD in Philosophy and Cognitive Science from the City University Graduate Center, and an MBA from Columbia Business School, where he participated in the Applied Value Investing Program.

Jeffrey T. Hamm

Co-Portfolio Manager and Risk Manager

Jeffrey Hamm is a Co-Portfolio Manager and Risk Manager at van Biema Value Partners, LLC. Jeffrey joined the firm in July 2010. Previously, Jeffrey was a Senior Accounting Supervisor at HSBC Alternative Fund Services, where he prepared portfolio pricing analytics, portfolio valuations, and financial statements for hedge fund clients. Prior to joining HSBC, Jeffrey was with Security Benefit, where he was part of the Small- and Mid-Cap valuations and accounting team. While completing his undergraduate studies, Jeffrey worked for Sabatka & Company, a financial advisory firm in Manhattan, KS, and Cornerstone Investments, the investment division for Cornerstone Bank in York, Nebraska. Jeffrey earned a BBA in Finance and BA in Accounting from York College. He has an MBA from Baker University. Jeffrey is involved with the Value Investing Committee and is an affiliate member of the New York Society of Security Analysts.

Sam Klier, CPA

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer

Sam Klier is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of van Biema Value Partners, LLC. Sam joined the firm in September 2008 and is responsible for all operational and financial aspects of the firm in addition to all relevant compliance matters. Before joining the firm, Sam served as an Associate Director at Bear Stearns Asset Management, Inc. ("BSAM") from July 2004 until August 2008 and was the Corporate Controller of BSAM's hedge fund business, assisting with the structure and launch of all new BSAM hedge funds. Prior to joining BSAM, Sam was a Senior Accountant at Goldstein Golub Kessler LLP / American Express Tax and Business Services ("GGK") in New York City. At GGK, Sam planned and performed financial statement audits, reviews and compilations for investment partnerships, along with the related tax returns and schedule K-1s. Sam received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brooklyn College and is a CPA in the state of New York.

Our in-house team benefits tremendously from the wisdom and experience of our distinguished board of advisors, comprised of several of the world’s most renowned value investors. Our highly-engaged board of value masters serves an integral role in both sourcing and vetting managers, while also providing vast experience to help guide our investment decisions.

Board of Advisors

Our Board of Advisors is comprised of renowned, veteran value investors with expertise in markets around the globe. We believe this gives us (and our investors) a unique and significant competitive advantage. The members of our Board of Advisors assist us in identifying compelling small value managers around the world for inclusion in our portfolios and they serve as additional due diligence on the managers with whom we consider investing.

Charles M. Royce

Mr. Royce is chairman and a portfolio manager of Royce & Associates, LLC. He has over 45 years of investment experience, with over 35 years spent utilizing a disciplined value approach to select smaller companies for the Royce investment portfolios. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and earned a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University.

Jean-Marie Eveillard

Jean-Marie is a senior advisor to the First Eagle Investment Management Global Value team and serves as board trustee to First Eagle Funds. From 1993–2004 and 2007-2008, he was the lead portfolio manager for all of First Eagle Investment Management Global Value investment strategies. Jean-Marie started his career in 1962 with Société Générale before relocating to the United States in 1968. In 1979, he was appointed portfolio manager of the SoGen International Fund, later named the First Eagle Global Fund. Jean-Marie is a graduate of Écoles des Hautes Études Commerciales.

Alan Kahn

Mr. Kahn is the former president and chief executive officer of the noted value-investing firm, Kahn Brothers & Co., where he served from 1978 to 2005. He became a member of the board at van Biema Value Partners in 2006. Before joining Kahn Brothers, Mr. Kahn was a vice president in the securities division of Lehman Brothers, the predecessor firm to Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb, Inc. From 1960 to 1975, Mr. Kahn worked at Abraham & Co. and previously for J.R. Williston & Beane. Mr. Kahn received a Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from Columbia University.

Peter Guy

Mr. Guy is the co-founder of John A. Nolan Associates (later renamed JANA Consulting), an asset consulting firm founded with John Nolan in 1987. JANA became one of the premier asset consulting and asset management companies in Australia, advising on approximately $A600b by the end of 2019. In 1993, Mr. Guy and Mr. Nolan founded Warakirri Asset Management Pty Ltd. In June 2008, Mr. Guy left his formal duties at Warakirri to manage his family's assets but remains one of Warakirri's largest shareholders.

V-Nee Yeh

Mr. Yeh is the chairman of Cheetah Investment Management Group, which sponsors and seeds new funds, including Arcus Japan Value, Cheetah Korea Value, and Saizen REIT. He is also co-founder and director of Value Partners Limited and chairman of Argyle Street Management. In addition, Mr. Yeh was a member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong. Mr. Yeh received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College and his JD from the School of Law at Columbia University.

Charles Brandes

Mr. Brandes founded Brandes Investment Partners LP, an investment advisory firm serving institutional and private clients, in 1974, serving as managing partner until retiring in 2018. A CFA charter holder for more than 25 years, Mr. Brandes met Benjamin Graham, the father of value investing, early in his career, and has utilized Graham and David Dodd's principles over his 40+ years in investment management. He is the author of Value Investing Today (McGraw-Hill. 3rd Edition. 1998). Mr. Brandes earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Bucknell University.

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Our Regulatory and Compliance Documentation

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View Form ADV Part 1 Here
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