For months, investors have been
watching to see where Mansco Perry III would resurface. He seemed too qualified to
retire, and with his years of successful investing — nearly doubling the size of the Minnesota’s state pension fund’s total assets under management
fund (from $68 billion in 2013 to $130 billion in 2021) — and holding both a law degree and an MBA,
his skills seemed a solid asset to whichever firm he chose.
The
global investment firm Oaktree Capital Group just
announced the appointment of Perry to its board of directors. He started Feb 10.
Perry plans to stay living in Minnesota,
where he spent 27 years at
the Minnesota State Board of Investment, retiring as its executive director and
chief investment officer. Perry was also CIO of Macalester College
from 2010 to 2013 and of Maryland State Retirement Agency from 2008 to 2010.
Howard
Marks, co-chairman of Oaktree, said in a written statement, "My colleagues
and I have had the pleasure of working with Mansco in his various positions of
responsibility over many years. No one knows more than Mansco about managing
investment portfolios or pension funds. Our familiarity with each other will allow
Mansco to make an immediate contribution to Oaktree. We look forward to
benefiting from his vast experience and unique insight." The firm
specializes in alternative investments and has with more than $170 billion in
assets under management.
Perry said,
"I feel deeply honored to have been offered this opportunity. It has been
my pleasure and good fortune to have worked with Oaktree during much of my
career. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to assist the organization in
any manner that I can.”
Perry
received the Richard L. Stoddard Award from the peer-reviewed National
Association of State Investment Officers in recognition of his outstanding
contributions to the investment of public funds. He was recognized for his years
of stellar performance through the inaugural Hall of Fame award from Markets
Group, and its affiliated publication, Institutional Allocator.
He
holds a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College; an MBA from the University of
Chicago and a law degree from William Mitchell Law School.
By
Christine Giordano
