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Fund of the Month (Apr'22): Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA)

1st April, 2022

Despite popular beliefs, the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) has one of the highest proportions of female employees among SWFs, at around 50%. One of the main reasons is its Fresh Graduate Training Program, which has since 1995 attracted the best Kuwaiti talent and supported women’s careers. The program is now headed by Ms. Aliah Al-Tameemi, who is the most senior woman at the fund and the first to be named as an executive director in 2017. She oversees a portfolio estimated at over US$ 100 billion in alternative investments, including real estate, infrastructure, private equity and hedge funds, and is the Chairman of infrastructure-dedicated subsidiary Wren House Infrastructure. We had the great pleasure of talking with Ms. Al-Tameemi about her career path, current responsibilities and future goals as a trailblazer of the SWF industry in the Middle East.

Fund of the Month (Mar'22): California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS)

1st March, 2022

CalSTRS is the world’s largest educator-only pension fund, and the world’s second largest state PPF, only behind its stablemate CalPERS. For the fiscal year 2020-21 the educator-only fund scored an impressive 27.2% return, which will improve its funding ratio by 300 bp. In the past few years, it has built a successful collaborative model and become a frequent partner of other SOIs. We had the immense pleasure of talking with Scott Chan, its Deputy CIO, about the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Fund of the Month (Feb'22): PIFSS / Wafra / Capital Constellation

1st February, 2022

Wafra (Arabic for “abundance”, and the southernmost area in Kuwait) was established by the PIFSS over three decades ago and today invests on behalf of PIFSS and asset owners around the world. In 2018, it rocketed to new heights with the launch of Capital Constellation, an innovative JV among leading institutional asset owners across Europe, North America, and the Middle East. We had the immense pleasure of catching up with Daniel Adamson, SMD of Wafra Inc. and President of Capital Constellation.

Fund of the Year (Jan'22): Mubadala Investment Company

1st January, 2022

For its significant contribution to the development of Abu Dhabi and the UAE, for its leadership in pursuing global partnerships, for its unparalleled investment and divestment activity displayed throughout the year, and, in general, for its contribution to the advancement of the SWF industry, Global SWF believes that Mubadala Investment Company is a worthy recipient of the 2021 Fund of the Year award. We spoke with Ahmed Saeed Al Calily, its Chief Strategy & Risk Officer, about the fund’s performance and ambitions.

Fund of the Month (Dec'21): Agaciro Development Fund (AgDF)

1st December, 2021

Rwanda’s economy has been growing steadily for the past 20 years. In December 2011, the National Dialogue Council proposed the creation of a Sovereign Wealth Fund, which would be funded by contributions of civil servants and the Rwandan diaspora. We had the pleasure of catching up with Mr. Gilbert Nyatanyi, who has been CEO of Agaciro since September 2020 and wants to take his country’s SWF to the next level.

Fund of the Month (Nov'21): PensionDanmark

1st November, 2021

PensionDanmark is one of Denmark’s largest labor market pension funds, with US$ 49.9 billion in assets as of June 30, 2021. It is also known as one of the world’s greenest investors, with US$ 3.7 billion invested and/or committed to unlisted renewable energy, and for having co-founded of the UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance (NZAOA). We had the immense pleasure of chatting with its CEO, Mr. Torben Möger Pedersen, who has led the fund since its establishment in 1993.

Fund of the Month (Oct'21): Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo)

1st October, 2021

In 2020, the impact of COVID-19 was felt among investment managers across the world and AIMCo was no different, incurring large losses. Since then, in an attempt to pursue stability and sustainability, the Alberta-based organization has appointed a new CISO, CRO, CFO, and on July 1 this year, a new CEO. As a result of some of these efforts, the fund enhanced its result in Global SWF’s GSR Scoreboard, from 84% in 2020, to 92% in 2021. We had the great pleasure of hearing more from Mr. Mark Prefontaine, AIMCo’s Chief Client & Stakeholder Relations Officer.

Fund of the Month (Sept'21): Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC)

1st September, 2021

On August 3, Alaska PFC reported its best annual performance ever, with a 29.7% return, and an all-time peak AuM of US$ 81.1 billion. A month before that, it had unveiled its strategy up to June 2025, when it expects private markets to rise to 40% of its portfolio. We had the immense pleasure of talking with Ms. Angela Rodell, who on October 1 will stand as the world’s only female CEO of a SWF.

Fund of the Month (Aug'21): Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA)

1st August, 2021

Last June was the 10th anniversary of the Establishment Act of the Nigeria’s NSIA, a multi-billion, multi-mission fund that has rapidly emerged as a role model for SWFs and Governments across the continent. In our 2021 GSR Scoreboard, the fund scored 100% in Governance and Resilience. We had the immense privilege to talk with Mr. Uche Orji, NSIA‘s CEO since 2012, about the fund’s success factors and future plans.

GSR Scoreboard 2021 Leader: Future Fund

1st July, 2021

For second year in a row, the Future Fund is the only State-Owned Investor to achieve a perfect score (25 of 25 elements) in our GSR Scoreboard. The Australian investor has performed well in both rising and falling markets for the past 15 years, while pursuing excellence in transparency, responsible investing, and resilience.

Fund of the Month (Jun'21): Bpifrance

1st June, 2021

We had the pleasure of catching up with Mr. Pascal Lagarde, Bpifrance's Executive Director of International, Strategy, Studies & Development.

Fund of the Month (May'21): New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZSF)

1st May, 2021

We chat with Mr. Stephen Gilmore, Chief Investment Officer at the New Zealand Superannuation Fund.