Episode 262: Kevin Leonard of NEPC: Towards a Sustainable Future for Public Pensions and Solving Pension Envy

The Fiftyfaces Podcast

Kevin Leonard is Partner and Practice Group Director – Public Funds and Taft Hartley at NEPC. He has had a long career in consulting and started his career as an accountant.
Kevin has had a career of over 30 years in investment consulting, and it had a somewhat “accidental” start – being driven more by location and convenience than a calling. Things quickly shifted however, and Kevin found that working with public funds where the possibility to add value and have impact was high and the touchpoints with investment committees and Boards frequent and satisfying.
We move then to discuss some of the challenges facing public funds more broadly and the mélange of policy issues, economic challenges and resource constraints that create a unique workload for the investment consultants serving this segment. Staying with policy we discuss the relevance of ESG and D&I issues for this client segment and how investment consultants are staying ahead of the curve to ensure that this mission can be fulfilled.
Series 3 of 2024 is supported by Ruffer and Nuveen. Ruffer is a London based asset manager - founded in 1994 - managing over $25 billion for institutions, pension funds, charities and individuals. They have a single investment approach that aims to deliver positive returns across the full range of market conditions. Nuveen has provided investment excellence for 125 years. With expertise across income and alternatives, Nuveen continues to expand its capabilities while maintaining its legacy as a leading investment manager. Visit Nuveen.com to learn more. Investing involves risk; loss of principal is possible.