Women We Admire is pleased to announce The Top 50 Women Chief Investment Officers of 2024. The Chief Investment Officer, or CIO, is a senior executive who is responsible for managing and overseeing investment portfolios, developing and implementing investment strategies, and working to achieve the financial goals of an organization.
Effective CIOs need to have strong analytical skills, strategic thinking, and the ability to navigate complex financial markets. These traits are seen in the careers of this year’s honorees, along with excellent leadership qualities.
First, we honor Erin Rohde, the Chief Investment Officer of Benefit Plans for Ford Motor Company. As a seasoned treasury and investment professional with extensive experience in pensions and capital markets, Rohde excels at managing internal and external relationships through challenging economic environments.
Next, we acknowledge the career of Jeanmarie Grisi, the CIO at Nokia, with a focus on Pension Investments. As a high-level senior executive for over 20 years, Grisi has also served as the the director of investment operations, real estate investments, and public market investments, as well as chief compliance officer.
Lastly, we celebrate the accomplishments of Camille Carlstrom, Chief Investment Officer at Fidelity Investments. Carlstrom has been responsible for fundamental research coverage of more than 100 financial sector stocks, banks, insurance, credit cards, brokerage, and real estate across developed and emerging markets.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 Women Chief Investment Officers of 2024.
1. Erin Rohde
Chief Investment Officer, Benefit Plans, Ford Motor Company
Erin Rohde is the Chief Investment Officer of Benefit Plans for Ford Motor Company. She first joined the company in 2000 as an associate in affiliate financing. Ford is a global company with shared ideals and a deep sense of family; their 186,000 employees around the world help to set the pace of innovation every day.
Rohde is a seasoned treasury and investment professional with extensive experience in pensions and capital markets. She has expertise in managing both internal and external relationships through challenging economic environments. Her specialties include asset management, international banking and investment, and corporate and capital markets. She is skilled in internal consulting, banking relations, trading and treasury operations, and cash management. Additionally, she has expertise in borrowing and financing strategies, financial statement analysis, and credit analysis.
Previously, Rohde held multiple roles at BancOne, with the most recent role of director of loan syndication origination, where she analyzed the financial strength and competitive position of syndication clients to determine appropriate financing structures. Rohde earned an MBA in Finance and Corporate Strategy and an undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
3. Jeanmarie Grisi
Chief Investment Officer, Pension Investments, Nokia
Jeanmarie Grisi is the Chief Investment Officer, with a focus on Pension Investments, at Nokia. Nokia serves mobile network operators, enterprises, government, the public sector, financial services, retail, energy, and resources, automotive, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and transportation industries.
Grisi began her professional career 40 years ago with Nokia. By 2000, she was promoted to the director level. She served in a variety of leadership roles, including the director of investment operations, real estate investments, and public market investments and as chief compliance officer. In 2008, she was promoted to her current role and added pension investments in 2016.
Grisi serves on the National Board of the Girl Scouts of the USA, and she is a trustee of the Lucent Supplemental Healthcare Benefits Trust. She served as a director of Vantage Trust Company, LL, and as a member of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation advisory board. Grisi started her career in 1984 as a treasurer at Carnegie Corporation of New York. She is a graduate of St. John’s University College of Business Administration.
4. Solita Marcelli
Chief Investment Officer Americas, UBS
Solita Marcelli is the Chief Investment Officer of Americas for UBS Global Wealth Management. UBS works with individuals, families, institutions, and corporations around the world to help answer some of life's questions. Marcelli is responsible for bringing together market and investment insights to optimize impact for UBS Americas clients, with over USD 1.8 trillion in total invested assets. She is a member of the global CIO and WM USA management committees and serves on the Global Investment Committee, which is responsible for formulating the UBS Global Wealth Management Investment House View. Marcelli’s team provides tailored advice to over 6,000 UBS Advisors, on topics, including asset allocation, equity and fixed income strategy, sustainable and thematic investments, single security analysis, and more.
Marcelli is widely recognized as a thought leader in the industry and is featured frequently in the financial media, including CNBC, Bloomberg, and the Wall Street Journal. Outside of UBS, she currently serves on the board of the UJA Federation of New York. She is a fellow of the 2018 Class of the Finance Leaders Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She is also a member of the Global Advisory Council for the Wilson Center, a premier global think tank, and a member of the Economic Club of New York. Throughout her career, Marcelli has long been a strong and passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, having co-founded a private banking women’s network, and spearheaded a sponsorship program designed to elevate diverse talent.
Before UBS, Marcelli was the global head of fixed income, currencies, and commodities for wealth management at J.P. Morgan. Previously, she was a member of the equity research team at DLJ/Credit Suisse First Boston, and later, she held a similar role at Thomas Weisel Partners. Marcelli holds an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University and a BA in Economics and History from Brandeis University.
7. Amanda Agati
Chief Investment Officer and Managing Executive, Investments, PNC
Amanda Agati is the Chief Investment Officer for PNC’s Asset Management Group and the Chair of the PNC Investment Policy Committee. She is a member of the Investment Committee for PNC's pension fund, has recently served on PNC's Corporate Diversity Council, and is a PNC-certified Women’s Business Advocate. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States. Agati leads the firm's overall investment strategy, portfolio and risk management approach, and investment solution development across the Asset Management Group, encompassing the Investment Office, PNC Private Bank, PNC Private Bank Hawthorn, and PNC Institutional Asset Management.
Agati’s investment leadership guides the firm’s holistic, tailored approach to serving the investment and wealth management needs of individuals, families, corporations, and institutions across PNC’s nationwide footprint. She is the face and voice of the firm on all things investing, contributing to news and magazine articles, as well as making frequent appearances as a guest on national television, radio broadcasts, and podcasts across a variety of media outlets, including Barron’s, Bloomberg, CNBC, CNN, the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal. Agati also authors thought leadership and is a top voice across several social media channels on key investment topics. Prior to being named to her current position in April 2021, Agati was the Chief Investment Strategist for PNC. She began her career in investment banking, advisory, and equity research positions with Legg Mason and then with PNC.
Agati graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics from Penn State University’s Schreyer Honors College. Agati holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Designation. She is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Philadelphia and sits on the boards of several nonprofit organizations.
10. Susan Ridlen
Chief Investment Officer, VP & Assistant Treasurer, Eli Lilly and Company
Susan Ridlen is the Chief Investment Officer, Vice President, and Assistant Treasurer of Eli Lilly and Company. She first joined the company in 1991 as a corporate financial manager. Lilly is a medicine company turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world.
In her role, Ridlen has found creative ways to work with hedge fund managers, tapping both emerging and longtime funds to build collaborative relationships. Prior to becoming Eli Lilly’s CIO, Ridlen served as the chief financial officer and executive director of finance, manufacturing, and quality for the company. She has also been a global treasury director in Belgium, a finance manager, and a senior financial analyst.
Previously, Ridlen was a senior audit manager at McGladrey & Pullen. Earlier in her career, she worked with Arthur Andersen as a senior auditor. Before earning her MBA at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, Ridlen worked at auditing firm Arthur Andersen, among other accounting roles. Today, Ridlen serves on the board at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Foundation, where she chairs the Investment Committee. She also serves on the board at Circle Centre Mall as a general partner chair and president. In 2022, Ridlen joined the American Benefits Council Policy Board.
11. Usha Sharma
Treasurer & Chief Investment Officer, University of Colorado
The University of Colorado Board of Regents has named Usha Sharma as CU’s next Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer. The University of Colorado plays a profound role in the lives of individuals, businesses, and communities throughout Colorado, across the country, and around the world.
Sharma has 30 years of experience. She brings a deep knowledge of financial markets to the post. Her 30-year financial career includes long-term roles as treasurer at the Denver Board of Water Commissioners from 2009 to 2023 and as senior manager in global treasury at Molson Coors Brewing Company from 2005 to 2009. She began her career in various areas of finance at the Coors Brewing Company from 1993 to 2005.
Sharma is an alumna of CU Denver, where she earned two Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Finance. Sharma received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, Nepal.
12. Amy Diamond
Chief Investment Officer, University of Southern California
Amy Diamond is the Chief Investment Officer for the University of Southern California, a leading private research university located in Los Angeles, the capital of the Pacific Rim. Diamond heads the university’s Investment Office and oversees USC’s endowment, which is supported by a balanced portfolio invested in diversified asset classes. The endowment provides enduring funding sources for the students, faculty, research, and programs that drive the university’s mission.
During her tenure at Northwestern, Diamond held leadership roles in annual asset allocation and risk management and served on advisory boards for more than 35 investment managers. In addition, she created a successful co-investment program, worked jointly with financial operations on liquidity planning, and was closely involved in Northwestern’s strategic sale of pharmaceutical patent royalty interests. As a member of the Real Estate Advisory Council at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, Diamond worked to support quality teaching, research, and curriculum development while promoting student recruitment and placement in the real estate industry. Diamond served as one of the founding board members of Lending for Evanston and Northwestern Development, a student-run nonprofit that provides microloans and training to small businesses.
Before joining Northwestern, Diamond was an equity research analyst for several investment banks, where she led coverage of companies in the healthcare services and energy industries. She has been recognized as a top performer in the field of institutional investment. A chartered financial analyst, Diamond holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with International Finance and Economics concentrations from George Washington University.
View the complete list of awardees.
13. Milla Tonkonogy
Chief Investment Officer, General Insurance (P&C) North America, AIG
Milla Tonkonogy is the Chief Investment Officer for General Insurance North America at AIG, a global multinational insurance corporation. American International Group Inc (AIG) is a multi-line insurance group. The group provides a range of life insurance, property and casualty insurance, retirement products, and other financial services to individuals and businesses.
Tonkonogy joined AIG in 2014 and is responsible for allocation strategies and manager oversight for around $60 billion of fixed income, alternative, and equity investments for the AIG Property and Casualty insurance companies located in the US, Bermuda, and Canada. Tonkonogy is an officer and the Deputy CIO of 16 GI US insurance companies and sits on several investment committees at AIG.
Prior to joining AIG, Tonkonogy was responsible for global asset strategies and manager oversight for a $6 billion portfolio of fixed-income investments for American Express and was part of the core team responsible for developing the Federal Reserve macroeconomic stress testing program for the investment portfolio. Tonkonogy began her career in consulting and holds a BA in Economics from The Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon.
14. Olaolu Aganga
Partner & US Chief Investment Officer, Mercer
Olaolu Aganga is the US Chief Investment Officer for Mercer’s investments business. Based in New York, she leads the US investment team to implement and deliver all aspects of Mercer’s investment processes, including strategic and dynamic asset allocation, fund manager selection, as well as risk management across Mercer’s US client base, ranging from endowments and foundations to defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans, wealth managers, and insurance companies.
Most recently, Aganga was a managing director within BlackRock’s US Outsourced CIO business with a focus on not-for-profit clients. She was directly responsible for the investment performance on client mandates and for delivering the best of BlackRock's investment thinking through strategic asset allocation design, portfolio construction, manager selection, and tactical asset allocation. Prior to joining BlackRock, Aganga spent several years at Goldman Sachs. While there, she advised institutional clients on a variety of investment solutions, including the use of factor-based strategies and derivatives to hedge and enhance returns in their investment portfolios. Prior to Goldman, she worked at Citigroup in trading, structuring, and advisory roles.
Aganga earned a degree in Mathematics from Smith College and an MBA and a Certificate in Public Management from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.
16. Pasy Wang
Chief Investment Officer, Cedars Sinai
Cedars-Sinai appointed Pasy Wang as its inaugural Vice President And Chief Investment Officer. Since its beginning in 1902, Cedars-Sinai has evolved to meet the healthcare needs of one of the most diverse regions in the nation, continually setting new standards for quality and innovation in patient care, research, teaching, and community service. Wang leads the Investment Office with a mandate to oversee investment policy, asset allocation, portfolio construction, risk management, and external investment managers.
Wang came to Cedars-Sinai from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where she served as senior managing director of investments for the university's Investment Office. In this leadership role, Wang managed and substantially grew Caltech's endowment, tripling its size from $1.5 billion to $4.5 billion over 12 years. During her tenure, Wang also created a formal investment process, instituted a risk-management system, and built out the Institute's portfolio. Prior to joining Caltech, Wang co-managed a portfolio of opportunistic hedge funds for Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company, a leading investment firm for institutional investors. She started her career as a consultant at Deloitte Consulting.
Wang earned a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from UCLA and an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School. She has been awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, one of the most respected certifications in the field of investment analysis. She currently serves as a director on the boards of American Business Bank, the Boys & Girls Club of Venice, and the Levitt Foundation, a community-building organization.
20. Shelby Saville
Chief Investment Officer, Publicis Media
Shelby Saville is the Chief Investment Officer of Publicis Media. Publicis Media harnesses the power of modern media through global agency brands Publicis Collective, Publicis Health Media, Spark Foundry, Starcom, and Zenith, as well as global accelerator PMX and integrated platform-based technologies, including CJ, CitrusAd, Epsilon, and Profitero.
Saville began her career at Katz Media as a sales assistant. From there, she moved on to Starcom, a global communications planning and media leader, attaining the role of digital strategist. From there, she became an SVP and media director for StarLink and worked her way up to EVP with Spark Communications. In 2016, she was made president of Spark Foundry, a global media agency brand within Publicis Media, and moved into the CIO role in 2018. Her role was broadened to Public Media US in 2022.
Saville earned an undergraduate degree in journalism and English from MacMurray College. Since 2015, she has served as a board member for Habitat for Humanity Chicago.
21. Katharine Wyatt
Chief Investment Officer, Loyola University Chicago
Katharine Wyatt is the Chief Investment Officer of Loyola University Chicago. Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois. With over 20 years of experience managing large institutional portfolios, Wyatt leads Loyola’s investment office where she is responsible for investment policy and management of over $1.5 billion in endowment, operating reserves, and defined benefit pension assets.
Prior to joining Loyola, Wyatt was director of investments for Abbott Laboratories' $6 billion pension plan. At Abbott, she was responsible for oversight of public and private investments, including selection, due diligence, and monitoring of external managers, and was instrumental in building the alternative investments program. She started her career as a research analyst covering hedge funds, private equity, and private real asset investments.
Wyatt holds both an MS and a BA in Finance, Investment, and Banking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was part of the Applied Security Analysis Program during her graduate studies. She is a CFA charter holder and serves on the executive committee of the CFA Society Chicago board of directors. She enjoys mentoring women in the investment field and has been a member of the Private Equity Women’s Investor Network, Women Association of Venture & Equity, and Women Investment Professionals. Wyatt volunteers as a board member and serves on the Investment Committee of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School and also serves on the advisory board of the Finance Department at Loyola's Quinlan School of Business.
22. Katherine Molnar
Chief Investment Officer, Fairfax County Police Officers Retirement System
Katherine Molnar joined the Fairfax County Retirement Systems in 2013 and currently serves as Chief Investment Officer of the Fairfax County Police Officers Retirement System, a $1.9 billion plan. The Fairfax County Police Officers Retirement System is the oldest of Fairfax County's retirement systems and was created under authority granted by Chapter 303 of the Acts of Assembly (law of the Commonwealth of Virginia) in 1944 to provide defined benefit pension plan coverage for sworn full-time law enforcement officers of the Fairfax County Police Department.
Molnar provides direction and oversight for the portfolios of three defined benefit systems with assets totaling $9 billion. Her responsibilities include all aspects of portfolio management and oversight, including strategic and tactical asset and risk allocation, selection and supervision of external investment managers, risk management, and performance measurement.
Molnar joined the C-suite in 1999 as a vice president and market research analyst at Citigroup Alternative Investments, where she researched and analyzed global equity and debt markets as well as alternative investment products with an emphasis on hedge funds, high yield loan portfolios, structured credit (CLOs/CDOs), real estate and private equity. From there, she eventually rose to vice president and senior research analyst at PineBridge Investments (formerly AIG Investments), her most recent position before joining Fairfax County Government. Molnar holds a BS in Business Administration and Finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
23. Suzanne Brenner
Partner & Chief Investment Officer, Brown Brothers Harriman
Suzanne Brenner is the Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Brown Brothers Harriman. She first joined the company in 2017. Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) is an independent global financial services firm. Brenner advises the Investment Research Group, which is responsible for manager selection, capital allocation, and investment decisions across Private Banking’s client portfolio. She is also a member of the Private Banking Investment Oversight Group, which reviews and approves all investment decisions made by IRG.
Previously, Brenner served the firm as co-chief investment officer within the Private Banking business and co-led the Investment Research Group. Prior to this, Brenner was an SVP and CIO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she oversaw the management of the museum’s $3.2 billion investment portfolio, including asset allocation, investment manager selection, and risk management. Earlier in her career, she served as director of investments and assistant treasurer of The Rockefeller Foundation. She began her career at Ernst & Young, where she managed several domestic and multinational audit client engagements.
Brenner currently serves on the boards of several leading New York family trusts, the Investment Committees of the New York Botanical Garden Investment Committee the Carnegie Institute of Science, and the Emerita Council of 100 Women in Finance, an organization focused on education, leverage, and philanthropy. She formerly served on the board of the Sanford Bernstein mutual funds. Brenner received a BM from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College and a BA from the City University of New York at Queens College.
View the complete list of awardees.
25. Geeta Kapadia
Chief Investment Officer, Fordham University
Geeta Kapadia is the Chief Investment Officer of Fordham University. Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to more than 15,100 students in its four undergraduate colleges and six graduate and professional schools. A key member of the University’s executive leadership team, Kapadia devises the university’s investment strategy in collaboration with the Board of Trustees Finance and Investment Committee and Fordham’s senior leaders in the finance area.
Since 2009, Kapadia has been associate treasurer for investments with the nonprofit Yale New Haven Health System, the largest healthcare system in Connecticut, where she led a five-person team overseeing an academic medical center’s $5.7 billion in assets and oversaw the system’s $3.8 billion in defined contribution retirement assets. From 2005 to 2008, she was a senior investment consultant with Mercer Investment Consulting, based in the United Kingdom, and in 2004, she served as investment analyst and director of marketing for Capital Metrics and Risk Solutions in Pune, India. She has appeared on lists of standout investment professionals several times, most recently in 2019 when the news platform Trusted Insight named her one of its top 30 healthcare chief investment officers.
Kapadia earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Chicago, a Master’s degree in Financial Markets and Trading from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and an Investment Management Certificate from the UK Society of Investment Professionals. She is an outstanding leader in her profession, who gives back to that profession and serves her community. Among many other volunteer pursuits, Kapadia is a longtime member of the CFA Institute, having served on its Disciplinary Review Committee and mentored and advised other investment professionals throughout their candidacy for the Chartered Financial Analyst exam.
27. Wen Nannen
Chief Investment Officer, Securian Financial Group
Wen Nannen is the Chief Investment Officer of Securian Financial Group, a mutual holding company that provides a range of financial products and services. As CIO of Securian Financial Group and Securian Asset Management, she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Securian’s investment decision-making processes and the oversight of the general account and other affiliated portfolios.
Nannen has more than 20 years of fixed-income investing and research experience with large institutional investors, top-bracket investment banks, and rating agencies. She is adept in total return and relative value analysis, as well as liability-driven buy and maintain insurance strategy. She possesses strong communication and project management skills and is committed to integrity and team talent development.
Before joining Securian Financial Group, Nannen was a managing director and insurance portfolio manager at Lincoln Financial Group. Before that, she was a consultant at Birch Creek Capital. Earlier in her career, she worked with Moody's Investors Service as a ratings analyst. Nannen graduated from Baruch College with an MSc in Accounting and from Sun Yat-sen University’s Lingnan (University) College with an undergraduate degree in finance.
30. Debbie Laudermilk
Chief Investment Officer, Travis County
Debbie Laudermilk is the Chief Investment Officer of Travis County. Travis County considers it a high priority to recruit, motivate, and retain employees capable of providing exemplary service to the residents of Travis County by using a total compensation system that is fair, flexible, and market-competitive.
Laudermilk has 45 years of experience. She is an investment management professional with extensive experience in investment analysis and management, as well as asset allocation, treasury management, budgeting, forecasting, and investor relations. She has an in-depth understanding of various market conditions and their impact on investment strategies while managing risk. She is skilled at targeting appropriate audiences, building relationships, and articulating and integrating corporate objectives with investment criteria essential to enhancing shareholder value.
Before joining Travis County, Laudermilk was a development manager at Austin Habitat for Humanity. Before that, she was a direct investor relation at Golfsmith International, Inc. Earlier in her career, she worked with the Teacher Retirement System of Texas as an investment officer and portfolio manager. Laudermilk graduated from St. Edward's University with an MBA and from The University of Texas at Austin with an undergraduate degree in international business and finance.
33. Lauren Meserve
Chief Investment Officer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Lauren Meserve joined the Museum's investment team in 2002 and was named Chief Investment Officer. She will continue to oversee the management of the Museum's $3.1 billion investment portfolio, including asset allocation, investment manager selection, and risk management. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known as The Met, presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy.
Prior to joining the Museum, Meserve worked at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, where she assisted in the management of the Foundation's endowment, collaborated on The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions (Bowen and Bok) and The Game of Life: College Sports and Educational Values (Bowen and Shulman), and coordinated projects for Artstor. Meserve began her career at the Yale University Investments Office, where she worked on investment manager selection, endowment asset allocation and spending policies, and Yale's ethical investment policy.
Meserve has a Master's degree in Public Policy with a Certificate in Demography from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology from Yale University. She serves on the board of several nonprofits, including the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, the Population Council, and American Friends of the National Gallery, London.
35. Lori Heinel
Global Chief Investment Officer, State Street Global Advisors
Lori Heinel is the Global Chief Investment Officer at State Street Global Advisors. State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) is the investment management division of State Street Corporation and the world's fourth-largest asset manager. Heinel oversees industry-leading investment capabilities from index funds and exchange-traded funds to active, multi-asset class solutions and alternative investments. She leads an investment team of more than 600 professionals globally. She is also a member of the company's Executive Management Group, Investment Committee, and Global Product Committee.
Prior to this, Heinel was deputy global chief investment officer at State Street Global Advisors, where she was responsible for various activities that impact the effective delivery of investment strategies and solutions to their global client base. Before that, Heinel was the chief investment strategist and head of Investment Products for OppenheimerFunds, Inc. In that role, she identified market opportunities, spearheaded new product development, and created thought leadership aimed at helping clients navigate markets and position their portfolios effectively. Prior to that, she was a managing director and head of investments for Citi Private Bank. She worked with high-net-worth clients, family offices, private foundations, and institutional clients to develop investment strategies designed to meet financial, cash management, and risk management needs. Before joining Citi, Heinel ran the Global Investment Products Group for SEI Investments.
Earlier in her career, Heinel managed the new business development effort for Mellon Financial's eastern region and was a senior vice president at Parker/Hunter Incorporated running the equity and fixed-income sales and trading departments. Heinel received her Master of Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University and her Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Princeton University. She earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the Boston Security Analysts Society.
38. Kate El-Hillow
President and Chief Investment Officer, Russell Investments
Kate El-Hillow serves as President and Chief Investment Officer for Russell Investments, the global investment solutions provider founded in 1936 with approximately $300 billion in assets under management. El-Hillow oversees all aspects of the investment division, including asset management, implementation, and research to deliver overall client investment solutions. She also serves on the firm's Executive Committee. She chairs the Operating Committee, which ensures activities across divisions align with the company's strategic vision and long-term goals.
El-Hillow joined Russell Investments in 2021 and has over 25 years of proven success in investment management roles. She has deep expertise in outsourced CIO investment solutions and multi-asset portfolio management. Most recently, El-Hillow served as deputy chief investment officer of multi-asset solutions with Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where she helped lead the firm's multi-asset investment process and investment team. Prior to Goldman Sachs Asset Management, El-Hillow spent eight years at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., where she held a variety of investment positions, including a dual role as client portfolio manager and chief operating officer within the firm's asset allocation business.
El-Hillow is a frequent guest speaker, where she shares her insights on global markets, whole portfolio solutions, investment governance, and multi-asset and multi-manager investing. She earned an undergraduate degree in accounting from Boston College Carroll School of Management.
42. Ana Yankova
Chief Investment Officer, Mount Holyoke College
Ana Yankova is the inaugural Chief Investment Officer for Mount Holyoke College, where she is responsible for the management and oversight of the college’s $800 million endowment. Located in South Hadley, Massachusetts, Mount Holyoke College is a highly selective, nondenominational, residential, research liberal arts college for women that is gender diverse and welcomes applications from female, transgender, and non-binary students.
Yankova joined the college from the global investment firm Cambridge Associates, which she joined in 2005 as an investment director. Since 2017, she has been a partner in the firm and led the investment process and portfolio oversight for a range of clients, including US and European endowments, foundations, and families with assets ranging from $300 million to $20 billion.
Before that, Yankova was a senior financial analyst at the Yale University Investments Office and an associate analyst at the National Economic Research Associates division of Mercer Consulting Group. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
View the complete list of awardees.
44. Anne Dinneen
Chief Investment Officer, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Anne Dinneen is the Chief Investment Officer of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, one of the nation's most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems, dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care and service to patients in the New York metropolitan area, nationally, and around the world.
Dinneen came to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital from, Hamilton College, where she served as the endowment’s CIO for seven years. She was one of the youngest CIOs in the endowment arena, managing $1.5 billion and consistently maintaining a top-quartile performance. While at Hamilton, she made some significant changes to the portfolio’s structure. She made public equities 45% of the portfolio compared to their previous allocation of 70%. She repositioned Hamilton’s portfolio to include more alternatives. She built out an in-house private equity team that focused on both lower and mid-market private equity and venture capital.
Prior to her time at Hamilton College, Dinneen worked for the James Irvine Foundation as its director of investments. She has an undergraduate degree in economics from Princeton and an MBA from Wharton.
45. Kelsey Deshler
Chief Investment Officer, Carleton College
Kelsey Deshler is the Chief Investment Officer of Carleton College. Carleton College is committed to providing a true liberal arts education – a curriculum that challenges its students to learn broadly and think deeply. Instead of training for one narrow career path, Carleton students develop the knowledge and skills to succeed in any walk of life. At Carleton, Deshler is responsible for the day-to-day management of the college’s endowment portfolio and the Minneapolis-based investment office.
Deshler was most recently global head of manager research at BlackRock in New York City. She will relocate to Minnesota and join Carleton in late March. At BlackRock, she managed a global team of investment researchers across asset classes, including traditional and alternative strategies. Prior to BlackRock, she worked at Credit Suisse Asset Management as a portfolio manager and research head, overseeing equity long/short, event-driven, and distressed credit strategies globally. She joined Credit Suisse from General Motors Asset Management, where she was an investment analyst. Deshler started her career in finance as a hedge fund research analyst at CTC Consulting.
A native Minnesotan, Deshler graduated from the University of Minnesota, with a BS in Management and French. She holds an MS from the New York University Stern School of Business with a concentration in Finance.
48. Kim Hourihan
Global Chief Investment Officer, CBRE Investment Management
Kim Hourihan is the Global Chief Investment Officer for CBRE Investment Management. CBRE Group, Inc. is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm. Hourihan is passionate about strategic thinking, continuous learning, and creative problem-solving for her clients. She enjoys the tangibility of real estate, the challenge of launching new entities, and the opportunity to support and coach senior talent.
Hourihan previously served as CIO for CBRE Real Estate Investments, where she was responsible for the overall investment strategy for REI, including investing CBRE capital into CBRE Investment Management investment programs and Trammell Crow Company development deals. Hourihan also served as a managing director and portfolio manager for two international sovereign wealth fund clients, with total assets under management of more than $4 billion representing 11.7 million square feet. In this position, she was responsible for client relations, portfolio management, asset management, acquisitions, and dispositions.
Prior to joining CBRE Investment Management in 2007, Hourihan had roles as a senior vice president at Starwood Capital Group, as a partner and regional director at TA Associates Realty, and as an SVP at Georgetown Holding in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, directing multiple acquisitions ranging from a bank in Geneva to a magazine in Hong Kong. She began her career in 1990 in the USTrust Company, where she was responsible for real estate construction lending. Hourihan earned a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard University.
View the complete list of awardees.