Global Equity

What Differentiates
Our Global Equity Team

Integrated Fundamental and Systematic Process

What We Believe

We believe that quantitative tools objectively inform our rigorous fundamental research. Our corporate performance focus within a global strategy framework:

  • Pursues sustainable value creation at the corporate level
  • Is enhanced by a broader strategic viewpoint of macroeconomic and geopolitical dynamics

We believe that companies with high-quality and sustainable growth characteristics may:

  • Perform well in up markets
  • Protect in down markets
  • Produce attractive, risk-adjusted returns
Why This Matters

We believe our systematic tools enhance our in-depth fundamental analysis, helping us improve investment outcomes for our portfolios and clients. Our proprietary quantitative research models help:

  • Prioritize opportunities
  • Identify potential risks
  • Be more disciplined investors

Resources

People Walking on City Street

Why Non-U.S. Equities Now?

In today’s globalized world, savvy investors are looking beyond the United States to diversify their portfolios and tap into new opportunities. Below we delve into the factors that make non-U.S. equities an attractive proposition.
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Blurred Numbers in a Financial Chart

Emerging Markets: 6 Key Themes for 2025

Despite economic headwinds and uncertainty surrounding the new U.S. administration, we believe emerging markets (EMs) remain an efficient gateway to powerful secular themes, from technology-driven transformations to consumer growth stories across many regions.
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Floating Bars in a Financial Chart

Why Emerging Markets Equities Now?

As a new cycle unfolds for emerging markets (EM) equities, we believe the asset class is becoming more attractive and that themes that drove performance in the past will continue to shape market behavior
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Featured Funds

Featured Strategies

Global Equity Strategies

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Strategy NameDescription
Global Equity
Global Leaders

High conviction global portfolio of 40 to 70 stocks diversified across market cap, region, industry, and corporate lifecycle. Leaders are companies that we believe demonstrate consistent value creation, competitive dominance, and sustainability of critical inputs.

Global Leaders Sustainability

High conviction global portfolio of 40 to 70 stocks diversified across market cap, region, industry, and corporate lifecycle, with a long-term focus. Sustainability leaders are companies that we believe demonstrate consistent value creation, competitive dominance, and stand out for their management of resources, human capital, and stakeholders.

International Leaders

High conviction international portfolio of 40 to 70 stocks diversified across market cap, region, industry, and corporate lifecycle. Leaders are companies that we believe demonstrate consistent value creation, competitive dominance, and sustainability of critical inputs.

International Leaders ADR

High conviction international portfolio of 30 to 60 companies diversified across market cap, region, industry, and corporate lifecycle. Leaders are companies that we believe demonstrate consistent value creation, competitive dominance, and sustainability of critical inputs.

International Growth

Broad international portfolio of 180 to 240 stocks diversified across market cap, region, industry, and corporate lifecycle with a structural weight to emerging market and small-cap companies.

International Small Cap Growth

International small-cap portfolio of 100 to 150 stocks diversified across region, industry, and corporate lifecycle.

Emerging Markets Leaders

High conviction emerging markets portfolio of 50 to 80 stocks diversified across market cap, region, industry, and corporate lifecycle. Leaders are companies that we believe demonstrate consistent value creation, competitive dominance, and sustainability of critical inputs.

Emerging Markets Leaders Concentrated

High conviction emerging markets portfolio of 20 to 35 stocks diversified across market cap, region, industry, and corporate lifecycle. Leaders are companies that we believe demonstrate consistent value creation, competitive dominance, and sustainability of critical inputs.

Emerging Markets Growth

Broad emerging markets portfolio of 120 to 175 stocks diversified across market cap, region, industry, and corporate lifecycle with a structural weight to small-cap companies.

Emerging Markets ex China Growth

Broad emerging markets ex China portfolio of 80 to 130 stocks diversified across market cap, region, industry, and corporate lifecycle with a structural weight to small-cap companies.

Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth

Emerging markets small-cap portfolio of 120 to 175 stocks diversified across region, industry, and corporate lifecycle.

China Growth

Focused portfolio of 30 to 70 high-quality growth Chinese companies diversified across share class, market capitalization, and industries.

China A-Shares Growth

Focused portfolio of 30 to 70 high-quality growth China A-Share companies across the market-capitalization spectrum.

Global Equity Fund Performance

Performance cited represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results and current performance may be lower or higher than the data quoted. Returns shown assume reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Investment returns and principal will fluctuate with market and economic conditions and you may have a gain or loss when you sell shares. Class N shares are available to the general public without a sales load. Class I and Class R6 shares are available only to investors who meet certain eligibility requirements.

Index: Hide|Display
AS OF DATE: Monthly|Quarterly
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RETURNS:
As of
10/31/25
AVERAGE ANNUAL RETURNS: As of 10/31/25
Ticker and Fund NameShare ClassMonth

YTD

1-YR

3-YR

5-YR

10-YR

Since Inception

Gross Expense Ratio

Net Expense Ratio

Fact Sheet

WGFIX

Global Leaders Fund

I1.81%15.06%14.88%16.66%7.75%10.10%
6.91%Since10/15/07
1.22%0.90%

MSCI All Country World Index IMI (net)

-2.05%20.67%22.00%20.89%14.26%11.04%
6.98%
---

WILIX

International Leaders Fund

I3.69%23.10%17.86%13.46%4.86%7.69%
8.11%Since08/16/12
1.03%0.90%

MSCI All Country World ex-U.S. IMI Index (net)

-1.77%28.20%24.62%20.00%11.10%7.68%
7.21%
---

BIGIX

International Growth Fund

I1.68%17.76%15.18%13.68%5.07%6.71%
6.90%Since10/01/99
1.01%0.90%

MSCI All Country World ex-U.S. IMI Index (net)

-1.77%28.20%24.62%20.00%11.10%7.68%
5.49%
---

WISIX

International Small Cap Growth Fund

I-2.29%14.67%14.94%12.57%2.90%4.97%
5.97%Since11/01/05
1.26%1.10%

MSCI All Country World ex-U.S. Small Cap Index (net)

-0.21%25.81%22.58%18.18%10.61%7.77%
6.91%
---

WBELX

Emerging Markets Leaders Fund

I4.64%29.30%26.07%15.70%2.67%6.35%
3.22%Since03/26/08
1.23%0.99%

MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net)

-4.18%32.86%27.91%21.10%7.46%7.69%
3.83%
---

WBEIX

Emerging Markets Growth Fund

I5.34%26.29%25.14%16.99%3.77%8.09%
7.80%Since06/06/05
1.18%0.99%

MSCI Emerging Markets IMI Index (net)

-3.92%30.88%26.10%20.77%8.07%7.72%
7.29%
---

WXCIX

Emerging Markets ex China Growth Fund

I9.62%27.63%27.73%21.41%--
17.67%Since07/29/22
2.11%0.99%

MSCI Emerging Markets ex-China IMI Index

-7.12%28.99%23.43%19.52%--
15.59%
---

BESIX

Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund

I3.03%14.93%15.52%13.77%8.51%7.26%
9.16%Since10/24/11
1.42%1.15%

MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap Index (net)

-2.28%19.33%15.49%18.83%13.14%8.11%
6.55%
---

WICGX

China Growth Fund

I-3.59%26.79%28.31%11.25%--
-8.67%Since08/27/21
9.46%0.99%

MSCI China All Shares Index (Net)

--2.42%31.37%29.04%19.50%--
0.00%
---
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Prices: As of 11/11/25

Yields: As of: 10/31/25

Hide|Display
Ticker and Fund NameShare ClassClosing Price

Daily Change

Daily % Change

Distribution Yield

30-Day SEC Yield (Subsidized)

30-Day SEC Yield (Unsubsidized)

Fact Sheet

WGFIX

Global Leaders Fund

I$12.37-0.01-0.08%---

WILIX

International Leaders Fund

I$23.77-0.05-0.21%---

BIGIX

International Growth Fund

I$32.18-0.01-0.03%---

WISIX

International Small Cap Growth Fund

I$13.89-0.02-0.14%---

WBELX

Emerging Markets Leaders Fund

I$11.89-0.02-0.17%---

WBEIX

Emerging Markets Growth Fund

I$16.02-0.10-0.62%---

WXCIX

Emerging Markets ex China Growth Fund

I$16.71-0.06-0.36%---

BESIX

Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund

I$24.38-0.16-0.65%---

WICGX

China Growth Fund

I$6.70-0.06-0.89%---
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RATINGS: As of 09/30/2025
Ticker and Fund NameShare ClassCategory

Overall Rating

3-YR

5-YR

10-YR

Fact Sheet

WGFIX

Global Leaders Fund
IGlobal Large-Stock Growth

Out of 295 funds

Out of 295 funds

Out of 265 funds

Out of 178 funds

WILIX

International Leaders Fund
IForeign Large Growth

Out of 373 funds

Out of 373 funds

Out of 338 funds

Out of 224 funds

BIGIX

International Growth Fund
IForeign Large Growth

Out of 373 funds

Out of 373 funds

Out of 338 funds

Out of 224 funds

WISIX

International Small Cap Growth Fund
IForeign Small/Mid Growth

Out of 109 funds

Out of 109 funds

Out of 96 funds

Out of 76 funds

WBELX

Emerging Markets Leaders Fund
IDiversified Emerging Mkts

Out of 697 funds

Out of 697 funds

Out of 614 funds

Out of 457 funds

WBEIX

Emerging Markets Growth Fund
IDiversified Emerging Mkts

Out of 697 funds

Out of 697 funds

Out of 614 funds

Out of 457 funds

WXCIX

Emerging Markets ex China Growth Fund
IDiversified Emerging Mkts

Out of 697 funds

Out of 697 funds

-
-

BESIX

Emerging Markets Small Cap Growth Fund
IDiversified Emerging Mkts

Out of 697 funds

Out of 697 funds

Out of 614 funds

Out of 457 funds

WICGX

China Growth Fund
IChina Region

Out of 74 funds

Out of 74 funds

-
-

The Morningstar Rating for funds, or "star rating", is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and separate accounts) with at least a three-year history. Exchange- traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product’s monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10 year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods.

©2025 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ratings and rankings are one measure of performance. Ratings may vary among share classes. Ratings reflect expense limitations in effect during the period, without such limitations returns would be lower. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Our Global Equity Team

Meet the Team

Nicola Hynds

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We watch every headline, every comment, to see what’s moving the markets and driving day-to-day price action so we can take appropriate action on behalf of our clients.

Nicola Hynds

SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EQUITY TRADER, GLOBAL EQUITY TEAM

Spiro Voulgaris, Partner

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The best way to predict the future is to understand history, and so I think having a great deal of stability, seniority, and continuity in our team really helps us at a beginning stage. But then beyond that, I think we have to challenge our thinking.

Spiro Voulgaris, Partner

SENIOR QUANTITATIVE ANALYST, GLOBAL EQUITY TEAM
Hugo Scott-Gall Speaking on Podcast

Hugo Scott-Gall, Partner

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Thinking about the corporate lifecycle, thinking about types of growth—the more we can do that, the more I think we can uncover why great companies do so well, and the better our chances of spotting them in the future.

Hugo Scott-Gall, Partner

HEAD OF THE GLOBAL EQUITY TEAM AND PORTFOLIO MANAGER

Vivian Lin Thurston, CFA, Partner

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When clients come to see us to say thank you, that’s a very significant moment. You can’t help but be proud because what you’re doing as an asset manager is not screen-based or trading-based or market-based; it’s people-based and it’s livelihood-based.

Vivian Lin Thurston, CFA, Partner

PORTFOLIO MANAGER, GLOBAL EQUITY TEAM

Contact Us

Our active ownership culture creates long-term client relationships by aligning with your interests and helping you achieve successful investment outcomes. Contact us to learn how we can partner with you.

Contact Us

Contact Us

Our active ownership culture creates long-term client relationships by aligning with your interests and helping you achieve successful investment outcomes. Contact us to learn how we can partner with you.
Contact Us

Any investment or strategy mentioned herein may not be appropriate for every investor. There can be no assurance that investment objectives will be met. Products and services listed are available only to residents of this jurisdiction and may only be available to certain categories of investors. The information on this website does not constitute an offer for products or services, or a solicitation of an offer to any persons outside of this jurisdiction who are prohibited from receiving such information under applicable laws and regulations. Nothing on this webpage should be construed as advice and is therefore not a recommendation to buy or sell shares.

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Please carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of the William Blair SICAV. This and other important information is contained in the prospectus and Key Investor Information Document (KIID). Read these documents carefully before investing. The information contained on this website is not a substitute for those documents or for professional external advice.

Investing involves risks, including the possible loss of principal. Equity securities may decline in value due to both real and perceived general market, economic, and industry conditions. The securities of smaller companies may be more volatile and less liquid than securities of larger companies. Investing in foreign denominated and/or domiciled securities may involve heightened risk due to currency fluctuations, and economic and political risks. These risks may be enhanced in emerging markets. Investing in the bond market is subject to certain risks including market, interest rate, issuer, credit, and inflation risk. High-yield, lower-rated, securities involve greater risk than higher-rated securities. Different investment styles may shift in and out of favor depending on market conditions. Diversification does not ensure against loss.

William Blair Investment Management, LLC is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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