James Kester was named chief investment officer of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's private equity unit, according to spokesman Erik Portanger.
Mr. Kester replaces George Sudarskis, who left ADIA to start his own private equity firm, Sudarskis & Partners, in 2009. Mr. Sudarskis' duties had been shared among senior executives at ADIA, Mr. Portanger said.
Mr. Kester will report to Hareb Al Darmaki, executive director of the private equity department.
Mr. Kester was head of private equity at Zurich Alternative Asset Management. He was replaced by Ferdinand Seibert, according to company spokesman Sean Kevelighan. Further information was not available.
According to ADIA's annual report issued in March, the fund's target private equity allocation is between 2% and 8%. ADIA, the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, does not publish its total assets, but the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute has estimated the fund oversees about $627 billion.
