The UK’s ACCESS Pool, a local authority pension asset pool, has appointed MJ Hudson as implementation adviser for the pooling of illiquid assets, including private equity, infrastructure, private debt and real estate.

Under the contract, which was tendered last March, MJ Hudson will provide support to the pool in selecting individual investment opportunities and investment managers to build portfolios in a range of illiquid assets, ACCESS announced.

The ACCESS Joint Committee will use MJ Hudson’s analyses and recommendations to inform its future actions and to meet the requirements and ambitions of local authorities within the pool, it said.

ACCESS, which handles around £35bn of pooled assets of 11 Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds, said the first illiquid investment vehicles are expected to be launched in 2022/23.

Mark Kemp-Gee, chair of the ACCESS Joint Committee, said, “This long-term partnership with MJ Hudson is part of an important next phase in our development, as we will be able to offer pooled illiquid investment opportunities to our 11-member local authorities.”

He added: “MJ Hudson’s experience of successfully working with the LGPS and extensive private markets expertise make them the ideal partners for this process.”

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