Partners Group announces amendments to the composition of its Board of Directors
Partners Group
/ Key word(s): Private Equity
Partners Group announces amendments to the composition of its Board of Directors
09.03.2022 / 18:15
Baar-Zug, Switzerland; 9 March 2022
Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, today announces amendments and nominations regarding the composition of its Board of Directors (the "Board") and related committees, which will be proposed at the next Annual General Meeting of shareholders ("AGM") on 25 May 2022. The Board has nominated Anne Lester and Flora Zhao for election as new independent members of the Board. Grace del Rosario-Castaño, independent member and Chairwoman of the Nomination and Compensation Committee, will retire from Partners Group's Board following the AGM.
Anne Lester spent almost three decades in senior leadership roles at JPMorgan Asset Management, primarily in the US, and most recently as Managing Director, Portfolio Manager and Head of Retirement Solutions in the Multi Asset Solutions division. In that role, she launched JPMorgan's SmartRetirement Target Date franchise in 2005. In addition, Ms. Lester co-founded the Aspen Leadership Forum on Retirement Savings in order to advance breakthrough solutions to address the lack of adequate savings for retirement. Through her Board committee assignments, in particular the Client Oversight Committee, Ms. Lester would dedicate her time to further driving forward Partners Group's bespoke private markets solutions for the Defined Contribution ("DC") pensions market.
Flora Zhao has more than 30 years of executive experience across the global energy infrastructure value chain in Asia, including serving as the President of Gas Asia at BP and Managing Director of Asia / Middle East at AES Corporation. Today, she serves as a Senior Advisor to organizations including Temasek International and is a member of the Singapore Future Economic Council's Resource and Environmental Sustainability Committee. Through her Board committee assignment on the Investment Oversight Committee, Ms. Zhao would enhance Partners Group's transformational investing approach and contribute to strategic Board-level initiatives with a focus on entrepreneurial governance for the benefit of the firm's portfolio companies, especially in Asia and in infrastructure-related assets.
Steffen Meister, Executive Chairman of the Board, Partners Group, states: "We are delighted to welcome Anne and Flora to our Board - each brings a wealth of experience in a sector and region of strategic focus for Partners Group. Anne has played a leading role in innovating and growing retirement-focused businesses in the US and we will benefit from her expertise as we expand our own DC offerings in the US, UK and Australia. Flora has built a formidable track record in Asia's infrastructure sector across a broad range of roles and her expertise will support us as we scale our transformational investing in next-generation energy infrastructure."
Anne Lester comments: "As someone who has devoted her career to improving the retirement outcomes of individuals, I believe private markets will play an important role in DC portfolios by providing participants access to the broader economy via the growing proportion of businesses that prefer not to list publicly. I look forward to joining Partners Group's Board and helping to continue building on the firm's strong positioning in the DC market at this critical juncture for the retirement industry."
Flora Zhao says: "This is a great opportunity to apply my skills and experience to further support Partners Group's investment processes and help continue its strong track record of performance. Partners Group's thematic investment approach is a clear differentiator, and I am excited to bring my network and experience of investing in Asia to support the sustainable growth of the firm's investment platform, with a view to developing its next-generation infrastructure offering."
Grace del Rosario-Castaño has served as an independent member of Partners Group's Board for seven years, with assignments including chairing the Nomination and Compensation Committee and membership of the Investment Oversight Committee.
On her retirement from the Board following the next AGM, Steffen Meister comments: "On behalf of the entire Board, I would like to thank Grace for her significant contribution to Partners Group over the years. Grace has played an instrumental role in growing our Asia business, supporting our strategy and senior leadership in the region, and sponsoring the opening of our Manila office in 2016. As a long-term member of the Investment Oversight Committee, Grace contributed materially to our portfolio company governance process, and in her role as Chairwoman of the Nomination and Compensation Committee, she introduced several meaningful developments and further improved the communication of our compensation strategy."
A full overview of the nominations to Partners Group's Board of Directors and related committees is shown in the table below.
Board of Directors
Independent director
Corporate Development Committee
Investment Oversight Committee
Client Oversight Committee
Risk & Audit Committee
Nomination & Compensation Committee
Steffen Meister, Chairman
∆
X
X
Dr. Martin Strobel, Vice Chairman, Lead Independent Director
X
X
∆
X
Dr. Marcel Erni
X
Alfred Gantner
∆
Joseph P. Landy
X
X
X
Anne Lester
X
X
X
X
Urs Wietlisbach
∆
Flora Zhao
X
X
∆
"∆" Chair
"X" Member
About Partners Group
Partners Group is a leading global private markets firm. Since 1996, the firm has invested over USD 170 billion in private equity, private real estate, private debt, and private infrastructure on behalf of its clients globally. Partners Group seeks to generate strong returns through capitalizing on thematic growth trends and transforming attractive businesses and assets into market leaders. The firm is a committed, responsible investor and aims to create sustainable returns with lasting, positive impact for all its stakeholders. With USD 127 billion in assets under management as of 31 December 2021, Partners Group provides an innovative range of bespoke client solutions to institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and private individuals globally. The firm employs more than 1,500 diverse professionals across 20 offices worldwide and has regional headquarters in Baar-Zug, Switzerland; Denver, USA; and Singapore. It has been listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 2006 (symbol: PGHN). For more information, please visit www.partnersgroup.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Shareholder relations contact
Philip Sauer
Phone: +41 41 784 66 60
Email: philip.sauer@partnersgroup.com
Media relations contact
Jenny Blinch
Phone: +44 207 575 2571
Email: jenny.blinch@partnersgroup.com
End of Media Release
End of News EQS News Service
1298851 09.03.2022