Eugene Podkaminer

With eight years of experience at Callan, Podkaminer has served as a consultant to large public pensions, and also works in the Capital Markets Research group. In addition to working with clients directly, he also provides custom research on a variety of investment topics. In a way, his work at Callan is almost a hybrid of roles that would be separate elsewhere. “My role is a bit distinct from other consultants in the sense that I take a deep dive into issues and can do a full study,” he says. That work often provides insights that aren’t readily obvious to non-researchers and can provide significant value to client relationships.

Podkaminer developed his background as a consultant at Barclays Global Investors, where he spent over a decade prior to joining Callan. In that role, he worked with and advised several large pension plans and sovereign wealth funds. He was also chief strategist of Barclays’ CIO-outsourcing platform, a role in which he executed CIO-level functions for corporate pension plans and endowments, giving him a taste of what it’s like to be on the other side of the table. The work with Barclays set up Podkaminer to fill the unique role that he does today at Callan.

He says that now more than ever, being able to meld research and advice can create new, positive outcomes for investors. Bringing new concepts together can also lead to new business relationships. “It’s a time in consulting where it is important to differentiate yourself. Everyone has access to more information, but not necessarily better information. We try to create value by offering better information.”