CalPERS Names Eric Baggesen Senior Investment Officer for Asset Allocation and Risk Management

The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) has named Eric Baggesen as the Pension Fund’s Senior Investment Officer (SIO) for Asset Allocation and Risk Management. Baggesen has been serving as Acting SIO for the asset class since 2012 and currently serves as the SIO for Global Equity. He will cede those duties to Dan Bienvenue, who will be tapped as the Acting SIO for Global Equity and who currently serves as a Senior Portfolio Manager in the asset class.

“Eric and Dan are proven team players who have the knowledge, philosophy and experience to help us achieve our investment objectives and position our portfolio for growth,” said Joe Dear, CalPERS Chief Investment Officer. “We look forward to working with Eric and Dan in their new positions, and welcome Dan as a member of our senior management team.”

Baggesen has been serving as the Acting SIO for Asset Allocation and Risk Management after the departure of Farouki Majeed, who previously held the title until last year. Baggesen joined CalPERS in 2004, having previously worked at State Street Global Advisors for eight years as the Unit Head of Emerging Markets in the Global Structured Products Group. He was named SIO for CalPERS Global Equity program in 2008.

As SIO for Asset Allocation and Risk Management, Baggesen is responsible for asset allocation implementation, and the monitoring and managing of CalPERS total investment portfolio.

Baggesen holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Rhode Island and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Dan Bienvenue joined CalPERS in 2004 after serving as a Principal and Senior Portfolio Manager with Barclays Global Investors, leading an international equity portfolio management team responsible for $55 billion across developed and emerging markets. He was named Senior Portfolio Manager for Global Equity at CalPERS in 2008. In that role he is responsible for implementing and directing CalPERS internally managed equity portfolios.

As Acting SIO for Global Equity, Bienvenue is responsible for implementation and management of investment strategy and policy for the Pension Fund’s $138.5 billion portfolio in publicly traded equity investments worldwide.

Bienvenue holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Davis and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.