CPPIB Retains VSG as Advisor

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board has retained Vikram Gandhi and his firm, VSG Capital Advisors, as senior advisors effective March 1st, 2012. Based in India and Hong Kong, VSG will provide strategic advice and facilitate investment opportunities for the CPPIB in the Indian sub-continent.

PRESS RELEASE

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) today announced that it has retained Vikram Gandhi and his firm, VSG Capital Advisors (VSG), as Senior Advisors effective March 1st, 2012.

Based in India and Hong Kong, Vikram and VSG will provide strategic advice and develop and facilitate investment opportunities for the CPPIB in the Indian sub-continent, a region in which the CPPIB sees significant long-term investment opportunities.

Prior to founding VSG, Vikram Gandhi was the Global Head, Financial Institutions Group and Vice Chairman, Investment Banking Department at Credit Suisse based in New York and Hong Kong. He also spent 16 years at Morgan Stanley in various roles globally, including President and Country Head, Morgan Stanley India.

“Vikram and his firm bring exceptional market knowledge and relationships across the Indian sub-continent,” said Mark Wiseman, Executive Vice President – Investments, CPPIB. “India is an increasingly important market, and we are very pleased to have Vikram and his firm as strategic advisors as we continue to explore investment opportunities in this very promising region of the world.”

CPPIB is a global investment organization with a growing presence in the Asia Pacific region. As of December 31, 2011 CPPIB had C$152.8 billion in assets, with 8.5% or C$13.1 billion in public equity, real estate, infrastructure and private investments in Asia, including Australia.

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to partner with an organization with the stature of CPPIB,” said Mr. Gandhi. “VSG and I look forward to working with CPPIB in further building its presence, relationships and opportunities in the Indian sub-continent.”

About Vikram Gandhi

Vikram holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School where he was a Baker Scholar. He also has a Bachelor of Commerce degree with high distinction from the University of Mumbai and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.

He is a Founding Member of Harvard’s South Asia Initiative, which focuses on urbanization, water, and social entrepreneurship issues. Vikram has been appointed to the Governing Council and Investment Committee of the recently announced $1 billion “India Inclusive Innovation Fund” by Sam Pitroda, Chairman-National Innovation Council & Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure & Innovations. Vikram has also been a Board Member of the Grameen Foundation for over five years and Co-Founded and funded The Giving Back Foundation which focuses on women’s and children’s causes.

About The CPP Investment Board

The CPP Investment Board is a professional investment management organization that invests the funds not needed by the Canada Pension Plan to pay current benefits on behalf of 18 million Canadian contributors and beneficiaries. In order to build a diversified portfolio of CPP assets, the CPP Investment Board invests in public equities, private equities, real estate, inflation-linked bonds, infrastructure and fixed income instruments. Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in London and Hong Kong, the CPP Investment Board is governed and managed independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm’s length from governments. At December 31, 2011, the CPP Fund totaled $152.8 billion.