After a challenging start to the year, Institutional Investor is offering readers a bit of respite.
II wants your help in finding and honoring the best and the brightest allocators for its 8th Annual Allocators’ Choice Awards. In times of turbulence, in particular, the most qualified and respected professionals rise to the top as they steer their organizations, portfolios, and people through the uncertainty. You can start the nomination process here.
Tell us who has demonstrated leadership and has results to prove it. We know this process requires a bit of time, but ultimately our finalists and winners have credibility because they reflect the opinions of their peers, bosses, boards, and employees. These investment leaders do not necessarily have to run the biggest funds or have the most name recognition. Think of great thinkers who form bold opinions by listening to the people around them and who are willing to change their mind when presented with new evidence. Think of leaders who took on a challenge to rebuild something or who set out to create an investment model that others might mimic or see as a source of inspiration. Think of the people you reach out to for advice when you have a tough problem that needs to be solved. What matters to II — and we know to the industry — is quality, not popularity.
This year, we again recognize CIOs of the Year in six categories, honoring outstanding risk-adjusted performance and a well-defined approach to portfolio management that fits the needs of the organization. Nominees should be effective and inspiring leaders, generous mentors, and industry advocates who exemplify the profession’s standards. They should be excellent at tapping into the best research, selecting managers, developing talent, communicating with the board and managing expectations, and maintaining relationships with fellow allocators.
In addition to the CIO categories, II wants nominations for Allocator Rising Stars, which highlight up-and-coming professionals who have the expertise and passion to become a chief investment officer or asset class head one day; Asset Manager/Allocator Partnership of the Year — a close collaboration or joint venture between a manager and an institutional investor that solves a problem or offers something new; and an award for Leadership and Vision in the Allocator Community. On that last one, let’s just say, you know leadership and vision when you see it.
Separately, in the coming months, II will announce its choices for both the Allocator and Hedge Fund Manager Lifetime Achievement Awards for 2025, both of whom will be honored at the Allocators’ Choice Awards gala. Lifetime Achievement recipients are selected by the editorial team based on II’s historical knowledge of and reporting on industry leaders.
The finalists will be a combination of names submitted by the industry, and vetted by the editorial team and an advisory board, and nominees that come from our editorial team’s independent research and reporting. After II announces the finalists, the industry will be asked to vote. Our award winners — and nominees — will be recognized at the ACAs on September 18 at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City.
Again, please submit your nominations here.
Here is the complete list of awards:
- Insurance Company CIO of the Year
- Corporate Pension Plan CIO of the Year
- Healthcare System CIO of the Year
- Family Office CIO of the Year
- Endowment/Foundation CIO of the Year
- Public Pension Plan CIO of the Year
- Allocator Rising Stars
- Asset Manager/Allocator Partnership of the Year
- Award for Leadership and Vision in the Allocator Community
