Chikara Investments, PKZH, LGPS Central
PKZH – The CHF24bn pension fund of the city of Zurich has appointed Oliver Grimm as the new chief investment officer, and member of the executive board, effective 1 January 2027.
Grimm succeeds Jürg Tobler, who led the investment division at PKZH for 16 years.
Grimm has been working in the investments division at PKZH since 2010 and has led the mandates division for nearly nine years. After handing over his responsibilities, Tobler will continue to work for the pension fund as a specialist within the investment division.
LGPS Central – Greg Smith has been hired as chief of staff, further strengthening the investment pool’s leadership capability at a significant point in the organisation’s development. The appointment follows a period of growth, including the onboarding of new partner funds, and comes as LGPS Central continues to evolve its operating model in response to the UK government’s Fit for the Future reforms.
The pool now represents over £100bn of collective investment assets on behalf of 14 partner funds, giving it significant scale as a long-term investor in the UK.
Smith joins LGPS Central from Local Pensions Partnership, where he held senior roles including director of strategic programmes and group company secretary. His experience spans governance, legal, strategic programmes and business development, with a strong track record of supporting organisational delivery across the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), including time spend at London CIV.
In his new role, Smith will work closely with chief executive officer Richard Law-Deeks, the executive committee and colleagues across the business to help coordinate key strategic priorities, continue to strengthen governance and support effective delivery for LGPS Central’s partner funds. The appointment supports the pool’s continued focus on building the leadership, governance and organisational capability needed to serve a larger and more complex pool.
Chikara Investments – Peter Harrison, former group chief executive officer of Schroders, has become a strategic advisor to the business. He will work closely with the leadership team, bringing his extensive industry experience to support Chikara’s continued growth and strategic development.
Harrison worked in asset management for over 35 years, latterly serving as group CEO of Schroders between March 2016 and November 2024. He has worked both as a portfolio manager and leader, served as chair of the Investment Association and sat on the Financial Conduct Authority’s markets practitioner panel. He is currently a member of the board of directors of Marsh McLennan and Lazard, and is chair of Morgan Sindall.
The appointment of Harrison comes at a pivotal time for active equity management. After a decade in which passive strategies dominated inflows, changing market conditions have prompted renewed interest in active, research-driven investment approaches, Chikara stated.
