OCIO’s Next Targets: DC and Public Sector

Research reveals that outsourced investment providers are targeting areas beyond their traditional stomping grounds.

Outsourced-CIO (OCIO) providers are plotting expansion into the defined contribution and public defined benefit sectors, according to research by Cerulli Associates.

In a report, “Investment Consultants 2015: Trends Reshaping the Investment Consulting Landscape”, Cerulli claimed that approximately one quarter of surveyed OCIO providers said these two areas would offer “significant growth opportunities” in the near future.

Michele Giuditta, associate director at Cerulli, said the main areas would be “large and mega plans that generally take a more customized, institutional approach to asset allocation.”

With public pensions, OCIOs are often providing specialist expertise in areas such as alternatives, Giuditta added.

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“Given the multiple challenges that institutional investors are facing—stretched budgets, regulatory and accounting rule changes, underfunded pension liabilities, and more complicated and volatile markets—the opportunities for OCIOs are continuing to increase,” said Giuditta.

Despite the rapid growth of OCIO in recent years—Chief Investment Officer’s latest survey covered 56 providers—Cerulli predicted continued expansion, “albeit at a slower pace”.

Home > News > Newsmakers > Commonfund Hires Former CalPERS, BT CIO

Newsmakers October 29, 2015

Commonfund Hires Former CalPERS, BT CIO

Mark Anson is to lead the endowment and foundation investor beginning next year.

The former CIO of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) is to join endowment and foundation investment manager Commonfund as its investment chief in the New Year.

Mark Anson will take up the CIO role at the Connecticut-based group in January 2016, reporting to Commonfund’s President and CEO Catherine Keating.

Anson is currently CIO of Acadia Investment Management, the asset manager for the Robert Bass family office. He has managed the family office’s money since 2010.

Anson was CalPERS CIO from December 2001 until October 2005, when he left to take the same role at the BT Pension Fund. He has also led asset manager Nuveen Investments as president. He holds a BA in chemistry and economics from St Olaf College, Minnesota, a PhD and master’s in finance from Columbia University, as well as a JD from Northwestern University, Illinois.

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“I am excited to be joining Commonfund, as it is a firm I have long admired for its innovation, investment leadership, and client stewardship in the nonprofit community,” Anson said.

Keating described Anson as “an outstanding institutional investor” and “a leader and innovator across asset classes, particularly in alternative investing.”

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