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Asset Allocation

OMERS Infrastructure Inks Deal with Leeward Renewable Energy

Fund allocated 16% of its portfolio to infrastructure.

By Chris Butera

The infrastructure management arm of the C$95 billion ($72.5 billion) Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) has officially inked a deal to acquire Leeward Renewable Entergy from affiliates of ArcLight Capital Partners.

“On behalf of OMERS Infrastructure, we are very pleased to announce our investment in Leeward, a high-quality, core infrastructure business that we expect will generate stable and consistent returns for the OMERS pension plan. We look forward to working together with the management team at Leeward to continue the company’s growth trajectory,” Ralph Berg, executive vice president & global head of infrastructure, OMERS Private Markets, said in a statement.

OMERS Infrastructure’s exclusive financial advisor is Wells Fargo Securities. Its legal counsel is Shearman & Sterling. Leeward’s financial advisor was exclusively Bank of America Merrill Lynch, with Latham & Watkins as its legal advisor.

“Leeward is excited to join the OMERS Infrastructure portfolio. Our team looks forward to continuing to operate our sizable portfolio safely, developing additional greenfield projects and executing on innovative re-powering initiatives to build Leeward into an industry leader for years to come,” said Greg Wolf, Leeward’s CEO.

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Subject to customary approvals, the deal is expected to close in the third quarter of this year. Terms of the agreement were not publicly disclosed.

According to OMERS website, the fund allocated 16% of its portfolio to infrastructure investments as of Dec. 31.

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Home > News > Corporate Moves > University of Georgia Foundation Names Jason Bull as First CIO
Corporate Moves

University of Georgia Foundation Names Jason Bull as First CIO

Bull joins Georgia from Emory University, where he was the endowment’s managing director.

By Michael Katz

Jason Bull


The $1.2 billion University of Georgia Foundation has hired Jason Bull as its first CIO, effective April 9. 

According to the university, a committee led by UGA Foundation Board of Trustees Vice Chair John Crawford conducted a national search to fill the role. Bull joins Georgia from Emory University, where he had been the managing director for the university’s $6.7 billion endowment since May 2008.

“Surpassing $1 billion of liquid assets was a big milestone that led to our decision to seek out strategic investment leadership,” said Crawford in a release. “As the foundation’s assets continue to grow, we need to ensure we’re accessing the best investment opportunities and that our goals are reflected in our investment allocations.”

Prior to joining Emory, Bull worked at Goldman Sachs from 2006 to 2007, and before that was an investment analyst at SEI Investments from 2001 to 2004. He earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics and economics from Eastern Michigan University, and holds an MBA from Emory’s Goizueta Business School.

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“We’re thrilled to have Jason fill this role as we continue to provide more resources through the success of the Commit to Georgia Campaign,” said Kelly Kerner, executive director for the UGA Foundation, in a release. “He has the strong technical background in investments and extensive endowment experience that we need, and I’m confident he will also bring enthusiasm and dynamism to this new leadership role.”

In 2017, the University of Georgia Foundation reported an investment return of 13.1%. The foundation’s portfolio allocation is 48% in publicly traded equities, 20.9% in hedge funds, 14.5% in real assets, 11.5% in fixed income, and 5% in private equity.

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