Commonfund appoints Anson as CIO

Investment firm Commonfund has named Mark Anson as chief investment officer. Currently, Anson is CIO of the Robert Bass family office. Prior to that, he was CIO of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System.

PRESS RELEASE

WILTON, CT, October 29, 2015 – Commonfund, a leading investment manager for endowments, foundations and the public sector, today announced the appointment of Mark Anson as Chief Investment Officer (CIO). Mr.Anson is currently CIO of the Robert Bass Family Office. Previously, he has served as CIO of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the British Telecom Pension Scheme and as President of Nuveen Investments. Mr. Anson will officially join Commonfund in January 2016. He will report to Commonfund President and CEO, Catherine Keating.

“We are delighted to have an investor with Mark’s track record and experience join the management team at Commonfund,” said Catherine Keating, President and CEO of Commonfund. “Mark has been an outstanding institutional investor throughout his career and has been both a leader and innovator across asset classes, particularly in alternative investing.”

“I am excited to be joining Commonfund, as it is a firm I have long admired for its innovation, investment leadership, and client stewardship in the nonprofit community,” said Mr. Anson.

“I am grateful for the investment stewardship that Mark has provided to the Bass Family Office,” noted Robert Bass. “The opportunity with Commonfund is a terrific one, and I wish him continued success as he returns to his roots in pension and non-profit investing.”

At Commonfund, Mr. Anson will serve on the firm’s Operating Committee and will chair the Investment Policy and Asset Allocation Committees.

Mr. Anson has published numerous journal articles and financial textbooks and is the author of the Handbook of Alternative Assets, the textbook used for the CAIA certification program. He serves on the Board of the CAIA Association and has also served on the CFA Institute Board and the New York Stock Exchange’s Investor Advisory Board to the Chairman.

Mr. Anson holds a B.A. in Chemistry and Economics from St. Olaf College, a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in Finance from Columbia University, as well as a J.D. from Northwestern. He also holds CFA, CAIA, and CPA designations.

About Commonfund
Commonfund was founded in 1971 as an independent asset management firm focused on nonprofit institutions. Today, we are one of North America’s leading investment firms, managing $25 billion in assets for educational endowments, foundations and philanthropic organizations, hospitals and healthcare organizations and pension plans. Our only business is investment management, and we are active in all sectors of the global capital markets, both public and private.