Christopher Witkowsky

The $151.7bn system committed hundreds of millions of dollars to managers like Silver Lake, Lexington and Advent, but also to ‘strategic investment’ managers such as GSO.

Francie Heller has formed Heller Advisory to raise capital for private equity, real estate, hedge funds and other asset classes.

A survey from RBC Investor Services revealed a majority of small, mostly private Canadian pensions plan to increase – or even add – allocations to alternatives, though they have concerns about costs and lack of expertise.

The firm is moving four investment professionals to its growing London location, which it says will be its ‘primary European investment management hub’.

Anna Dayn has launched Dayn Advisors to advise clients on building private equity portfolios, including natural resources and infrastructure.

Martin Day, who ran fund commitments and co-investments for OMERS PE, will work with the team at Toronto-based Caledon Capital to build customised accounts for small and mid-sized LPs.

David Foley-led Blackstone Energy Partners' first fund was a key part of the New Jersey Division of Investment’s innovative separate account partnership closed last year.

The firm, which has closed its tenth fund on $3.58bn, has a small allocation to explore opportunities in water resources and agriculture that tie back into its core strategies.

Thomas Kubr, founding CEO of the Swiss fund of funds, is moving into an executive chairman position to focus on client development and strategy; CFO Stefan Ammann will become CEO.

The firm is investing in the largest refinery on the eastern seaboard with help from Pennsylvania to upgrade the facility and shift the source of crude oil from northern Africa to domestic sites around North America.