Pensions & Investments

09/23/2025

What if AI could help your pension fund do more with less?

This week on The Institutional Edge podcast, host Angelo Calvello sits down with Antonio Rodriguez, CFA, CIPM, Director of Investments at Building Service 32BJ Benefit Funds, to explore how lean investment teams are using multi-agent AI systems to punch above their weight.

From automating time-consuming workflows to improving governance and vendor selection, Antonio shares how public funds can leapfrog legacy systems with a strategic, staged approach to AI adoption.

Watch or listen here: https://youtu.be/TpDdJO16LCk?si=I18FBSoFFCvAcPxJ_?sub_confirmation=1

Sponsored by Allocraft.ai

09/17/2025

This week on the Institutional Edge podcast, Angelo Calvello hosts Ajmal Hachim, Vice President at Berkshire Global Advisors, for a clear and insightful conversation about how AI is reshaping institutional investing. The discussion covers why AI has become table stakes, what it takes for firms to position themselves as AI leaders, and how both big tech and smaller managers are influencing the competitive landscape.

Watch or listen here: https://youtu.be/uKLjJNW-70Y_?sub_confirmation=1

Sponsored by Allocraft.ai

09/10/2025

How can allocators tell the difference between real AI innovation and marketing hype?

In Episode 5 of The Institutional Edge podcast, Chris Walvoord, former Global Head of Liquid Alternatives at AON, joins host Angelo Calvello to unpack how institutional allocators can critically assess AI-powered investment strategies.

Chris outlines a field-tested due diligence framework that helps investors cut through jargon, evaluate AI claims with precision, and recognize the red flags that often go unnoticed. Most importantly, he explains why allocators do not need to be data scientists. They just need to ask the right questions.

A must-listen for any allocator navigating the noise of the AI investing boom.

Sponsored by Allocraft.ai

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/uWaZLLP86Lw_?sub_confirmation=1

09/02/2025

Why do standard ESG metrics fall short when applied to AI?

In Episode 4 of The Institutional Edge podcast, Dr. Liming Zhu, Research Director at CSIRO’s Data61, joins host Angelo Calvello to explore the AI ESG paradox and what it means for institutional investors.

Dr. Zhu explains why measuring AI’s carbon footprint is more complex than it seems, how social and labor impacts enter the equation, and why water usage and grid stress matter for ESG assessments. He also introduces a new framework that gives asset owners a clearer path through the complexity.

Available on all major podcast platforms + P&I's YouTube channel. Watch the full episode now: https://youtu.be/otrzTwscn6A_?sub_confirmation=1

08/26/2025

Why are so many institutional allocators still hesitant to adopt AI, even when it clearly boosts efficiency and eliminates redundant tools?

In Episode 3 of The Institutional Edge podcast, Melissa Lopez, former Managing Director at the James Irvine Foundation, joins Angelo Calvello to explore what’s really holding AI back in investment offices.

Melissa explains why exposure through venture portfolios isn’t the same as actual AI integration, what CIOs should be asking vendors, and how cultural resistance and leadership awareness are shaping the pace of adoption.

She also makes the case for experimentation now—not later—if asset owners want better outcomes for beneficiaries.
Available on all major podcast platforms + P&I's YouTube channel. Subscribe and listen now:
https://youtu.be/Oo5qT24YzRw_?sub_confirmation=1

08/19/2025

What happens when a retirement fund’s AI models begin to outperform human decisions?

This week on The Institutional Edge podcast, CIO Mark Steed of Arizona PSPRS joins Angelo Calvello to discuss how public retirement funds can actually implement AI.

Hear how his team uses machine learning for smarter decisions and automation, and how they address governance, data security, and talent.

Available on all major podcast platforms + P&I's YouTube channel. Subscribe and listen now: https://youtu.be/e13RmUIOHxo?si=t3q7j0INOP6Y8pD_?sub_confirmation=1

08/14/2025

Episode 1 of The Institutional Edge: Real allocators. Real alpha. is here!

This week, host Angelo Calvello sits down with Peter Strikwerda of APG Asset Management, who shares how a €616B pension fund is using AI to innovate without compromising fiduciary responsibility.

What you'll learn:
• APG’s framework for scaling AI responsibly
• How to evolve governance from rules to principles
• Why most AI experiments fail — and why that’s OK

Available on all major podcast platforms + YouTube. Watch and subscribe now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xg3SkQ9XLk?sub_confirmation=1

08/11/2025

Meet The Institutional Edge: Real allocators. Real alpha., a sharp new podcast hosted by Angelo Calvello, Ph.D., and brought to you by Pensions & Investments.

This isn't theory. It's real insights from real allocators.
💬 Hear how AI is reshaping institutional investing in our debut series.
🕒 Fast. Focused. Just 30 minutes.

Episode 1 launching Wednesday featuring APG’s Peter Strikwerda

Available on all major podcast platforms + YouTube. Subscribe now: https://www.youtube.com/?sub_confirmation=1

06/10/2025

Eneasz Kadziela, deputy CIO for the New York City Retirement Systems as well as head of private equity, will depart June 20.

04/10/2025

SSGA, Apollo launch a target-date fund offering 90-10 mix of public and private exposures.

04/08/2025

Following years of protests over benefit cuts from a 2012 pension reform law and calls for cuts in investment costs, board members stayed the course in an asset-liability study.

03/31/2025

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink pledges to make private markets more accessible in his annual letter to shareholders.

Related: BlackRock adds private credit, equity funds to model portfolios