Schroders has hired Chantale Pelletier from Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) to lead its expansion into private infrastructure markets.
Pelletier will take on the new position of global head of infrastructure in private assets at the London-based investment manager at the end of March.
She will report to Georg Wunderlin, who was appointed global head of private assets two years ago, and follows the recent hire of Sophie van Oosterom who started as global head of real estate this month.
Pelletier will also become president of Schroder Aida SAS, the firm’s Paris-based infrastructure business.
Pelletier has spent 20 years at CDPQ, most recently as managing director of capital solutions, helping build up the Canadian institutional investor’s C$27.8bn (€17.7bn) infrastructure portfolio.
She was previously head European infrastructure and led the Paris office.
Pelletier has overseen large global infrastructure projects and led transactions, including CDPQ’s investments in Heathrow Airport, high-speed rail operator Eurostar and offshore wind farm London Array.
The appointment signals an intention by Schroders to push further into private equity infrastructure.
According to IPE Real Assets’ latest top 100 ranking of infrastructure fund managers, Schroders managed more than €3.2bn in infrastructure last year, although the majority of this (€2.5bn) was in the form of debt investments.
“I am looking forward to joining Schroders at what is a pivotal time for infrastructure investment,” said Pelletier. “We have seen a number of key trends accelerate rapidly during 2020 and, as we look ahead, investment in infrastructure will continue to play a significant role in driving these themes, especially in relation to sustainability and digitisation.
“Given the strong track record of Schroders’ private assets’ business and the firms’ wider ongoing commitment to sustainability, I believe that there is great potential to further leverage these strengths and deliver an infrastructure investment platform that will provide our clients with attractive and sustainably-delivered yields over the long term.”
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