Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System appoints new CIO

The Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (IPERS) has appointed Sriram Lakshminarayanan as its new CIO, effective Jan. 7.

Lakshminarayanan has served as chief risk officer for the pension fund since 2014, and was responsible for public and private equities, fixed-income credit, hedge funds and real assets.

During his time at IPERS, he also implemented a $500 million liquid-hedge-fund/CTA-overlay program and designed an internally managed $300 million Alternative Risk Premia program.

“During his seven years on IPERS’ investment team, Sriram has demonstrated an ability to think creatively and to develop and implement innovative programs, all while focusing on IPERS’ fiduciary responsibility to its members,” said Greg Samorajski, CEO of IPERS. “He has proven that he is ready to take on the role of CIO. I’m optimistic about the future of IPERS’ investment program with Sriram in the lead.”

Lakshminarayanan was chosen from a pool of nearly