CPPIB names Feeney global head of PE

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board has named Shane Feeney, currently its senior managing director & global head of private investments, as senior managing director and global head of private equity, amid a raft of senior management appointments.

Feeney will be responsible for overseeing CPPIB’s direct private equity investments, funds, secondaries and co-investments, as well as its Asian private equity team.

The Toronto-based pension also made several other appointments. Suyi Kim is now a senior managing director and head of Asia-Pacific. Deborah Orida has been designated a senior managing director and global head of active equities. Poul Winslow is now a senior managing director and global head of capital markets and factor investing. All three are CPPIB veterans, with Kim having joined in 2006 and Orida and Winslow with the company since 2009.

John Graham is now senior managing director to lead the credit investments team, which includes principal credit investments, private real estate debt and a new public credit investment team. Graham was previously a managing director and global head of principal credit investments.

The appointments were made to allow for “greater investment agility and the recognition of the importance of emerging markets”, according to the statement.

CPPIB also announced Pierre Lavallée, senior managing director and global head of investment partnerships, which includes CPPIB’s funds, secondaries and co-investments business, will be leaving on 2 May.

In February, CPPIB announced the retirements of global head of real estate Graeme Eadie, and senior managing director and chief operations officer Nick Zelenczuk, along with the departure of Eric Wetlaufer, a senior managing director and global head of public market investments. Eadie left the firm at the end of March, while Wetlaufer is set to depart at the end of next month.

CPPIB’s total assets amounted to C$337.1 billion ($262.8 billion; €215.1 billion) as at end December 2017. Private equity made up 19.4 percent or C$65.4 billion of the fund’s portfolio, which delivered a net return of 6.7 percent as at end December 2017. Its Asia-Pacific portfolio made up 23.7 percent of its global portfolio. In addition to its Toronto headquarters, the firm also has offices in the US, Europe, Brazil, Hong Kong, India and Australia.

– Carmela Mendoza contributed to this report.