Man Group plc is an active investment management business listed on the London Stock Exchange. It provides a range of funds across liquid and private markets for institutional and private investors globally and is the world's largest publicly traded hedge fund company, reporting $151.4 billion in funds under management as of March 2022. The firm is headquartered at Riverbank House in London and employs over 1,400 people in various locations worldwide. The company was a sponsor of the Man Booker Prize from 2002 to 2019. History The company was founded by James Man in 1783 as a sugar cooperage and brokerage, based in Harp Lane in Billingsgate. The following year Man Group won the contract to supply the Royal Navy with the rum for its daily "rum tot", a tradition under which all sailors were allocated a daily rum ration. This tradition continued until 1970, with Man Group holding the contract throughout. The company further expanded from sugar and rum into other commodities such as coffee and cocoa. The company traded as a commodities business throughout the 19th and 20th century, gradually diversifying into financial services following the advent of financial exchanges to hedge commodity exposures. The firm was renamed ED&F Man in 1869, based on the initials of James Man's grandsons Edward Desborough Man and Fredrick Man. ED&F Man listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1994. In 2000 the company divided into two entirely separate businesses, with Man Group plc focusing exclusively on financial services and ED&F Man (the commodities division) taken private in a management buy-out. In 2007 Man Group moved into its present form as an investment management business, following the demerger and flotation of its brokerage business (known as MF Global) on the New York Stock Exchange. Man Group attained its current structure over time through acquisitions, which have now been fully integrated to form investment engines. Man AHL is the oldest investment manager of the group, having been acquired over time from 1989 to 1994. Man Group's other investment managers were formed via acquisition between 2010 and 2017, beginning with the 2010 acquisition of Man GLG (previously GLG Partners) for $1.6 billion, followed by Man FRM in 2012, Man Numeric in 2014 and Man GPM in 2017. In late 2017, Man Group announced the creation of a quantitative hedge fund in China. The firm has held licenses to operate in the country since 2012,