Who is Brian Casey?
Brian Casey is the Chief Executive Officer of Westwood Holdings Group, a publicly traded investment firm headquartered in Dallas. He joined Westwood in 1992, became CEO of its wealth management business in 1996, and has led the full company since 2006. Under his leadership, Westwood has grown from an institutional asset manager serving pension funds into a diversified firm spanning institutional asset management, private wealth and trust services, actively managed ETFs, energy secondaries, and direct indexing. Westwood was the only publicly traded asset and wealth manager on the Texas Stock Exchange’s original cap table, and in 2026 it listed the first ETF on the exchange, the Westwood PowerX ETF (PWRX).
Raised in Dallas, Raised to Work
Casey grew up in Dallas. His parents believed their children should work, and he started at about age 12. He mowed lawns, washed windows and cars, worked at the mall, and worked in construction. By his count, he held about 25 jobs before landing his first professional role after college in 1985, as a financial planner.
About a year and a half later, he called on a local trust company to pitch his services. The company never bought anything from him, but they told him he sure was persistent and asked to meet him. He joined Fiduciary Trust Company and spent about seven years there.
Joining Westwood
In the early 1990s, Susan Byrne moved to Dallas. She had founded Westwood in New York in 1983 and had a strong reputation as an institutional investor. She came to Dallas after marrying a Texan. Casey saw the move as his next step and joined Westwood in 1992, when the firm was an institutional asset manager serving pension funds across the country.
Over the years, Casey has held most of the jobs at the firm. He became CEO of the wealth business in 1996, when, he jokes, most of his clients were twice his age. Westwood went public in 2002. A few years later, Byrne asked Casey to take over as CEO so she could focus on managing money. He has led the company since 2006. Fabian Gomez now serves as president.
Building New Businesses
As traditional asset management matured and grew crowded, Casey looked for ways to set Westwood apart. Over the past few years, the firm has launched three new businesses and is transforming a fourth.
- ETFs. After acquiring Houston-based energy manager Salient about four years ago, Westwood launched an actively managed ETF business built largely around energy. Its lineup includes MDST (midstream pipelines), WEEI (Westwood Enhanced Energy Income), YLDW (based on the 20-plus-year Westwood Income Opportunity Fund), and PowerX (PWRX). PWRX targets the power-generation build-out required for artificial intelligence and data centers. Each fund writes covered calls to generate income.
- Energy secondaries. Westwood buys limited partner interests in private energy funds from investors looking to exit, typically at a discount. It is now raising its third fund.
- Direct indexing. A Chicago-based team builds customized index portfolios that hold securities directly for pension funds, institutions, and individuals.
- Multifamily office. Westwood’s roughly $4.5 billion wealth business, with offices in Dallas and Houston and its own trust company, is becoming a multifamily office for families with $25 million to $100 million.
How Casey Operates:
First In, Last Out:
Casey credits his career to a simple habit: be the first one in and the last one to leave. He is candid that work-life balance is great for many people, but he believes it is hard to be truly successful without putting in the hours. He encourages younger professionals to raise their hands for interesting projects, pitch in, and learn from their colleagues.
Be Early When You See an Opportunity:
Casey believes that when you see an opportunity, it pays to be early. Westwood joined the Texas Stock Exchange’s original cap table and chose to list PowerX there before any other asset manager. Being first carries risk, but it also means no one else can ever be first.
Own What Is Durable:
As a value manager, Casey prefers long-lived secular trends to cyclical ones. Technology accounts for about 37 percent of the S&P 500, while utilities account for about 2 percent. He would rather own the 2 percent that might grow to 5 than the 37 percent that might fall to 30. His view is that AI chips are cyclical, but the power needed to run them is a decade-long build-out.
Plan for the Next Generation:
Casey has seen extraordinarily successful families who have never discussed what their wealth is meant to do. Westwood’s multifamily office model centers on family governance, estate planning, and the coordination of scattered accounts. He believes families should decide together whether their wealth is just money, a cause, or a mission.
