NewsmakersSeptember 12, 2024

James Davis Appointed to International Centre for Pension Management Board

Davis is the CIO of OPTrust, the legal trust of the Ontario public employees’ union and Ontario government.

Reported by Matt Toledo

James Davis

The International Centre for Pension Management, a network of global pension funds, announced on Monday the appointment of James Davis to its board of directors. Davis is the CIO of OPTrust, a C$25 billion ($18.39 billion) pension fund which serves 110,000 beneficiaries in the province of Ontario.

“James has been a longtime supporter of ICPM and especially engaged in our Research Committee,” said Michelle Ostermann, the ICPM board chair, in a statement. “As CIO at one of the largest funds in Canada, he has a constant pulse on the pension industry and can bring a valuable Canadian perspective to the Board.”

Davis has been CIO of OPTrust since 2015. Previously, he was vice president of strategy and asset mix and chief economist at the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Davis earned a B.Sc. in math and engineering, a diploma in meteorology and an MBA in finance from Dalhousie University.

The ICPM publicizes research relevant to public funds, bridging the gap between academics and industry. In May, the organization released research which found direct investments from pension funds can improve the productivity of portfolio companies.

Some of the largest pensions and institutional funds in the world are a part of the ICPM network, including Norges Bank Investment Management ($1.7 trillion), ABP of the Netherlands ($563 billion), the California Public Employees’ Retirement System ($502.9 billion AUM), CPP Investments ($475.61 billion), and the AustralianSuper ($228.42 billion), among others.

The ICPM network members collectively manage $8 trillion in assets.