(April 2, 2014) -- Erik Knutzen, CIO at consulting firm NEPC and well-respected industry stalwart, is departing for asset manager Neuberger Berman.
He is set to lead the multi-asset class division as CIO, several sources confirmed to aiCIO, with the aim of expanding its existing strategic partnership program.
Tim McCusker, until now NEPC’s director of traditional research, will replace Knutzen effective April 11, sources confirm.
Some clients were informed of the change starting the evening of April 1.
Among other honors, Knutzen was rated by aiCIO as the most influential consultant in the business in 2013.
While is he widely regarded by institutional investors, he is perhaps best know for his work with risk parity strategies. Knutzen saw the success of providers such as Bridgewater and AQR as portending a larger shift in asset management.
“The big change since 2008 is the realization that you can think you’re diversified from an asset standpoint and not be from an exposure standpoint,” he told aiCIO last year. “It is important to have exposures to investment categories that may appear to have low expected returns but provide significant environmental protection in order to be truly diversified.”
McCusker, Knutzen’s replacement, joined the Boston-based firm from Towers Watson in 2006. According to NEPC’s website, he “specializes in asset allocation and asset-liability studies and is a member of the asset allocation committee. He is also the lead member of the GAA and real assets advisory groups and a member of the emerging manager advisory committee.”
Knutzen—a Williams College and Harvard Business School graduate—joined the firm in 2008 as CIO, tasked with overseeing a 45-person investment research team. Before NEPC, he held positions at RiverSource Investments, Standish Mellon, Putnam Investments, among others.
NEPC could not be reached for comment at press time.