Welcome to the 2025 CIO awards season!

Since 2010, with the exception of 2020, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER has highlighted truly exceptional approaches to the challenges of institutional asset ownership and asset management. This year, we are celebrating those asset owners who have thrived and been incredible leaders, even as markets have been volatile, inflation is in flux and the political climate has changed.

On October 16, at Chelsea Piers in New York City, we will host both the Influential Investors Forum and our Industry Innovation Awards celebration, where we will announce this year’s winners.

Save the date, because you’ll want to be in the room to meet finalists, talk with them about investing and join the excitement as the winners are announced. There is nothing like having a room full of peers to applaud your hard-won success.

2025 Industry Innovation Awards Asset Owner Winners and Finalists

Collaboration

Jennifer Neppel, Pinnacol Assurance

Carlos Rangel, W.K. Kellogg Foundation—Winner

Joe Siprut, Kerberos Capital Management

Corporate Plans

Harshal Chaudhari, GE

Robin Diamonte, RTX Corp.—Winner

Walter Kress, EY

Endowments

Richard Chau, Tulane University

Geeta Kapadia, Fordham University

Geri Melchiorre, University of Illinois System—Winner

David Morehead, Baylor University

Foundations

Nickol Hackett, The Joyce Foundation—Winner

Lisa Murray, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Peng Wang, Inatai Investment Management Company

Health Care/Hospital Plans

Mark Cagwin, SSM Health

Kathleen Jacobs, RWJBarnabas Health

Josh Rabuck, Indiana University Health—Winner

Rob Roy, AdventHealth

Public Defined Benefit <$25B

Ted Hall, Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund

Katherine Molnar and Andrew Spellar, Fairfax County Police Officers Retirement System and Fairfax County Employees’ Retirement System—Winner

Molly Murphy, Orange County Employees Retirement System

Kristin Varela, Employees’ Retirement System of the State of Hawaii

Public Defined Benefit >$25B

Geoffrey Berg and Bryan Moore, SC Retirement System Investment Commission

Benjamin Cotton, Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System

Craig Husting, The Public School and Education Employee Retirement Systems of Missouri—Winner

Public Defined Contribution

Elizabeth Fernando, U.K. NEST

Yup Kim, Texas Municipal Retirement System—Winner

Paul Taylor, Government Employees Superannuation Board

Methodology

In February, we opened nominations to CIO registrants and our friends and partners in the industry. Each nominee was asked to fill out an application offering details about performance, innovative strategies, contributions to the industry and drivers of success. Categories awarded each year may differ depending on the categories in which we receive applications.

A panel of internal judges at CIO selects the award finalists, and previous award winners help the panel select the winners in each category for the asset owner awards.

 

 

 

Industry Innovation Awards Nominations Open: February | Finalists Announced: July | Winners Announced: October at the CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER Industry Innovation Awards following the Influential Investors Forum. To receive invitations and reminders for the Chief Investment Officer Industry Innovation Awards, click here.