CalPERS appoints first woman CEO

CalPERS, the US$182 billion Californian public pension fund, has promoted its CIO to the vacant role of CEO – Anne Stausboll becomes the first woman to run the fund in its 77-year history.

Stausboll was selected after an internal and external search by an agency and after rejoining the fund in 2004 as chief investment operating officer. She was made interim CIO in April following the departure of Russell Read. She will fill the CEO role, from next month, vacated by Ken Buenrostro, who retired in June. Ken Marzion has ben acting as CEO for the past few months.

Stausboll initially worked at CalPERS between 1994 and 1999 in the legal department. In 1999 she left to become general counsel to California state treasurer, Phil Angelides and was appointed deputy treasurer in July 2000.

She will continue to serve as interim CIO until January 12. Meanwhile CalPERS has appointed a total of 14 consulting firms to advise on its infrastructure, forestland and commodities portfolios in the inflation-linked asset class.

The infrastructure consultants are Brock Capital Group LLC; Capital Innovations, LLC; Cliffwater LLC; Courtland Partners, Ltd.; Investors Diversified Realty, LLC; KPC Consulting Group, LLC (dba LP Capital Advisors); Magellan Asset Management Limited; Meketa Investment Group; Pension Consulting Alliance, Inc; R.V. Kuhns & Associates, Inc.; and Wilshire Associates Incorporated.

Forestland consultants are Cortex Consultants, Inc.; James W. Sewall Company; and ORG Portfolio Management LLC.
Cliffwater LLC; R.V. Kuhns & Associates, Inc; and Wilshire Associates qualified as commodities consultants.

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