Investment Manager Inquiry

Diversifying Strategy (Hedge Funds)

The Diversifying Strategies segment of comprehensive portfolios is composed of investment strategies, primarily hedge funds, exhibiting low or no correlation to public equity markets and is structured utilizing a range of strategies including Equity Long/Short, Credit Long/Short, Market Neutral, Global Macro, Arbitrage (statistical, merger, convertible), etc. We seek hedge fund managers who have demonstrated asymmetric returns (upside, downside capture win/loss ratio), a history of preserving capital in down markets, and an ability to extract alpha from the market niche in which they participate.

Public Equity and Fixed Income

We include US, International, and Emerging Markets stocks, High Yield Bond, Resource-Related Equity, and REITs in this category. We view the role of fixed income as providing diversification, liquidity, and income, and serves as an important cushion against risk in other parts of the portfolio.

Private Markets

We focus on early-stage venture capital and lower middle market growth equity and buyouts across sectors and geographies. We partner with established and emerging fund managers, as well as independent sponsors. We seek managers who we believe have the ability to generate asymmetric returns and can add value through strategic and operational improvements.

ESG / Impact

We measure and analyze several ESG and impact metrics prior to any investment. We include criteria related to four categories:

• ESG Process/Action: How managers incorporate ESG into their investments?
• Dedicated Resources: Who is responsible and what tools does the manager use to analyze ESG factors?
• Internal Practices: How are incentives aligned, how strong is the governance structure, and how is the manager trying to improve its own ESG profile?
• DEI: How does the manager incorporate DEI into investments and their own culture?