Sands Capital Founder Frank Sands Sr. Receives UVA Darden’s Abbott Award
By Dave Hendrick
Frank Sands Sr. (MBA ’63) was recognized with the Charles C. Abbott Award 29 April at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. The award is the highest honor the Darden School bestows upon alumni and is presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions of time, energy and talent.
Sands, the 25th recipient of the award, was lauded as a “remarkable friend” to Darden for his decades of devotion to the School.
“This is a very special place, and Charlie Abbott set the tone,” said Sands, referring to Darden’s first dean, namesake of the Abbott Award. “He was a man on a mission, and I wish he could be here today to see what that mission has amounted to.”
Sands, who spoke at Darden’s State of the School program during Reunion Weekend, is the founder and chairman of Sands Capital Management. His son, Frank Sands Jr. (MBA ‘94), now serves as CEO and chief investment officer of the firm.
The official award proclamation declares that Sands serves as “a leader in his field and his community, personifying Darden’s mission, values and principles through his actions” and notes the “countless hours” Sands spent offering counsel and guidance as a member of the Darden School Foundation Board of Trustees.
Sands is also a strong supporter, board member and was an early champion of the Richard A. Mayo Center for Asset Management, which increases Darden’s asset management capabilities through research, conferences and education.
He has been instrumental in Darden’s growth and is recognized as a Principal Donor, the highest designation for giving to the School.
The Abbott Award recipient has also greatly aided the School’s move to the Washington, D.C., area, donating office and event space in the Sands Capital offices in Rosslyn, Virginia, for multiple Darden functions.
Prior to founding Sands Capital Management, Sands served as chief investment officer of The Capital Management Group of Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Inc.
Previous positions included director of research and member of the board of directors at Eppler, Guerin and Turner Inc. and director of research and a member of the board of directors at David L. Babson and Co. Inc. He began his career as a research analyst at Loomis Sayles & Co. in Boston.
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible global leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences. Darden’s graduate degree programs (MBA, MSBA and Ph.D.) and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs offered by the Darden School Foundation set the stage for a lifetime of career advancement and impact. Darden’s top-ranked faculty, renowned for teaching excellence, inspires and shapes modern business leadership worldwide through research, thought leadership and business publishing. Darden has Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area and a global community that includes 18,000 alumni in 90 countries. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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