Institutional Investor: NEPC Says Majority of Asset Owner Clients Now Invest With Diverse Managers
NEPC 2021 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Progress Report: Radical Transparency is Key to DEI Progress
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– NEPC, a leading research-driven investment consultant with $1.4 trillion in assets under advisement, today published its second annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Progress Report, the first annually-produced report of its kind for the investment consulting industry.
The report tracks annual progress against the firm’s data-driven Diverse Manager Policy goals and reaffirms NEPC’s belief that investment consultants play a significant role in the financial industry’s quest to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its forms.
“Our goal is to be a change agent for the democratization of access to capital. To do that, NEPC is committed to being radically transparent at all levels – from the way we hire talent to the way we engage with diverse investment managers,” said Sam Austin, Partner & Governance Board Member; Manager of NEPC’s Western U.S. Public Funds Team, and Chair of NEPC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Board.
“Our 2021 report lives up to that commitment. Consultants might be wary of sharing all their data in this way, but in this instance, progress is far more important than public perception.”
NEPC’s 2021 DEI Progress Report provides a clear view into the firm’s DEI initiatives across its entire ecosystem. Listed below are highlights from this year’s report:
Increasing Diversity in NEPC’s Talent Pipeline
- 58% of new hires come from diverse backgrounds
- 37% of all 2021 new hires are gender diverse, up 6% from 2020
- 30% of NEPC partners are from diverse backgrounds
- NEPC launched a new MBA Rotational Program to recruit diverse candidates to participate in a summer intern experience at the firm. Half of all 2021 interns have accepted offers to join NEPC on a permanent basis.
Increasing Diversity in NEPC’s Recommended Strategies
- In 2021, NEPC launched its Explorer Program, a platform to identify and engage with diverse-owned and -led investment management firms that are not currently 1- or 2-rated by NEPC.
- The firm increased its vetting of diverse managers by almost 30% in 2021, largely due to initiatives like the Explorer Program.
- NEPC completed a total of 315 meetings with diverse firms over the past two years, significantly surpassing the goal of 132 meetings outlined in NEPC’s Diverse Manager Policy
- 59% of all NEPC clients currently use diverse managers in their portfolios, and 188 client strategies are fully managed by diverse firms. This equates to $40.7 billion in client assets allocated to diverse firms.
“The industry is aware of the importance of increasing diversity at all levels, but we’ve come to realize that it’s a goal that can only be achieved through bold action by investment consultants,” said Mike Manning, Managing Partner and President of NEPC. “As gatekeepers for trillions of dollars of assets, consultants have the power to ensure that governments, institutions, families and individuals are preserving and growing their capital across asset classes and market cycles in ways that create enduring, equitable, and inclusive change for the investment industry and our world.”
For more information about NEPC’s sustainable solutions like its Impact Investing Committee and Diverse Manager Committee, click here. To download the full results of NEPC’s 2021 DEI Progress Report, click here.
ABOUT NEPC, LLC
NEPC is an independent investment consultant and private wealth advisor, serving over 400 retainer clients and $1.4 trillion in total assets. Combining a proprietary research team dedicated to the long-term challenges facing investors with our unique client-centric model, NEPC builds forward-looking investment portfolios for institutional investors and ultra-high-net worth individuals. To learn more about NEPC, visit nepc.com.
Contact:
Laura Nascimento
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NEPC Elects a New Partner and Announces the Promotion of Principals for 2022
BOSTON—December 9, 2021 — NEPC, LLC, one of the industry’s largest independent, research-driven investment consulting firms, today announced the election of one new Partner and the promotion of six new Principals, effective January 1, 2022.
“These individuals have all demonstrated exceptional leadership and contributed to the overall success of NEPC. We fully anticipate that they will continue to make a substantial impact for our clients, the firm, and our industry, and these promotions reflect our confidence in their prospective contributions,” said Michael Manning, Managing Partner of NEPC.
The firm will now have 45 Partners and 27 Principals1.
The newly elected Partner is Will Forde, and new Principals include Richard Chari, Chris Hill, Chris Miers, Tim O’Connell, Deirdre Robert, and Dan Runnals.
Partners
- Will Forde, CFA, CAIA joined NEPC in 2011 as a Search Analyst on NEPC’s Research team, ultimately transitioning into Consulting on the firm’s Public Fund team. Will continued to take on more responsibility and rose through the ranks to Senior Consultant, consistently receiving high marks from his clients on his solution-focused approach to investment portfolios and his strong relationship-building skills. He has played a leadership role on NEPC’s Diverse Manager Committee and has deep investment knowledge of all asset classes. He is also an active member of NEPC’s Asset Allocation Committee, its Client Conference Committee, and has played a leadership role in many of the firm’s internal DEI efforts.
Principals
- Richard Chari joined NEPC as an analyst in 2008 and has worked his way through the ranks to an accomplished, highly valued Senior Consultant on the Corporate Defined Benefit (DB) Team. His extensive knowledge of LDI and pension risk transfer (PRT) are essential skills that are leveraged across the DB Team and by other teams at the firm.
- Chris Hill, CFA, CAIA joined NEPC in 2013 as a Senior Consultant in Alternatives and then after a short stint at Entrust, returned to NEPC in 2017 to join the firm’s Private Markets Team. Chris has a breadth of knowledge and expertise that he shares across NEPC. Whether it be his work as a private market consultant, his research on private credit, or his more technical portfolio construction skills, he is constantly sought out by Partners and Consultants looking to tap into this knowledge.
- Chris Miers J.D., CRE, FRICS joined NEPC in 2019 as a Senior Consultant on the Real Assets Team. Chris spearheads investment manager research in Europe and Asia in addition to his general non-core and real estate debt underwriting efforts. He also helps lead NEPC’s research in topical areas such as data centers, life sciences, and single-family housing strategies.
- Tim O’Connell, CFA joined NEPC in 2012 as a hedge fund analyst. Today he manages a 14-person investment research team. The ~1,650 investment strategies covered by his team represent about 60% of NEPC client assets. Tim played a major leadership role in creating NEPC’s investment manager evaluation framework and in implementing it over the past two years.
- Deirdre Robert, CFA, CAIA joined NEPC 13 years ago as a Performance Analyst on the Defined Contribution (DC) Team after spending two summers interning in Research. As a Senior Consultant on NEPC’s DC Team today, she is known for her deep knowledge of DC topics, her ability to handle complex clients, and her strength in new business. She is a member of NEPC’s Women’s Leadership Forum, is a Diverse Manager Committee Ambassador, and a Client Conference Committee member.
- Dan Runnals CFA, CAIA joined NEPC in 2011 as a Performance Analyst and made his way into the consulting ranks of the firm’s Taft-Hartley Team. Now a Senior Consultant, he has built strong relationships with NEPC’s clients and is extremely knowledgeable across all asset classes, asset allocation methodologies, and investment products.
ABOUT NEPC, LLC
NEPC is an independent investment consultant and private wealth advisor, serving over 400 retainer clients and $1.4 trillion2 in total assets. Combining a proprietary research team dedicated to the long-term challenges facing investors with our unique client-centric model, NEPC builds forward-looking investment portfolios for institutional investors and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. To learn more about NEPC, visit NEPC.com.
1 Data as of 1/01/2022
2 Data as of 10/1/2021
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NEPC Survey: Endowments Soar But Universities Fear Enrollment Declines
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NEPC, LLC, one of the largest independent, research-driven investment consulting firms, today announced the results of its 2021 Higher Education Survey, which highlights both present concerns and longer-term outlooks for some of the nation’s largest higher ed endowments.
COVID-related concerns are receding, with only 8% indicating concerns about pandemic-related expenses. There is an overall tenor of optimism among higher ed endowments. Only 19% signaled significant concern about inflation and 50% have plans for significant capital expenditures.
Enrollment declines (cited by 62%) are now the top worry for universities in spite of healthy enrollment levels for most universities. 63% reported either no change or an increase in enrollment compared to pre-pandemic levels. Just 10% of respondents reported an enrollment decline of more than 10%. Vaccines continue to be hotly debated, with 53% of respondents requiring students to be vaccinated before returning to campus.
“This time last year, endowments were reeling from the most severe liquidity crisis higher education had faced since the global financial crisis,” said Sam Pollack, Partner and senior member of NEPC’s Endowments and Foundations team. “Today, the numbers tell a very different story. Large university endowments achieved tremendous returns at fiscal year end, in large part due to their strong private market allocations. The challenge for investment teams in 2022 will be maintaining discipline with their spending rates, while making strategic investments in areas that were put on hold at the peak of the liquidity crisis.”
Endowments are also focused on sustainable investing and diversity. 37% cited ESG and impact investing as a priority, and 28% plan to increase engagement with diverse-led and diverse-owned managers. Institutions are more cautious about making Net Zero commitments: 72% do not have Net Zero strategies in place or plans to create one. Tracking diversity efforts also remains a work in progress: 64% do not currently track engagement with diverse managers.
For the full results of NEPC’s 2021 Higher Education Survey, please submit this form.
ABOUT NEPC, LLC
NEPC is an independent investment consultant and private wealth advisor, serving over 400 retainer clients and $1.4 trillion in total assets. Combining a proprietary research team dedicated to the long-term challenges facing investors with our unique client-centric model, NEPC builds forward-looking investment portfolios for institutional investors and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. To learn more about NEPC, visit nepc.com.
Media Contact:
Laura Nascimento
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