Ontario pension adds Singapore office to further expand Asia-Pacific ties

The C$205 billion ($154 billion) Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board announced the opening of a new office in Singapore this week, with an eye on enhancing its existing capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region. The Singapore office is in the city’s Central Business District at Asia Square Tower 2. The pension system already has more than 30 employees and approximately C$15 billion invested across the region via its public equity, private equity and infrastructure portfolios. “Expanding our presence is Asia is critical to our future growth, said Ben Chan, regional managing director of Asia. Chan, who is based in Hong Kong, has been charged to over operations for the Singapore office. “Asia Pacific offers numerous emerging and developed markets across two continents,” he added. The new office will target investments across India, Australia-New Zealand and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Canadian pension system opened its Hong Kong office in 2013 and will continue to focus on the North APAC geographies including Greater China, South Korea and Japan. Bruce Crane, who was recently hired to lead the Asia Pacific team within the pension’s infrastructure and natural resources team, will be based in the Singapore office. He will monitor grow opportunities across India ASEAN And Australia-New Zealand. Meanwhile the equities team will be expanding its capability by having a Singapore team. This includes private capital direct investing and high-conviction equities strategies. Another key addition is a local senior member of the pension fund’s global strategic relationships department. Officials said that the individual will help develop and cultivate key partnerships across the region and work to assure that teams across asset classes to enhance deal flow and strategic positioning. The Hong Kong office also expanded to include the Teachers’ Innovation Platform (TIP) Asia team. The platform focuses on late-stage venture and growth equity investments in companies that use disruptive technology. “I’m excited to add new asset classes and broaden our pool of expertise across Asia Pacific,” said Chan. “In particular, I’m delighted to welcome Bruce to the team -- he brings an exceptional depth of expertise in direct investments along with an acute understanding of the region.” He said the plan is to grow the team in the coming months. Ontario Teachers’ views this as a great opportunity to attract new regional talent as well as bring in existing global talent, he added.

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