Harisha Koneru Haigh
Harisha Koneru Haigh has spent 18 years at Northwestern University as one of the investment team's leaders of the $14.1 billion endowment fund.
During her tenure, Ms. Koneru Haigh, a managing director, has had oversight of Northwestern's traditional equity portfolio and built the endowment's private market strategies, including private equity, venture capital and real assets, as well as co-investments. Ms. Koneru Haigh and her team manage about $6.6 billion total in those strategies, she said.
She also works to promote collaboration across the investment office.
Ms. Koneru Haigh said her job "provides the ability to keep on learning. It's important for the endowment investment team to be mission-led to support the endowment for the university and its needs and to use process and experience in investing the fund."
Another important issue for Ms. Koneru Haigh is to help foster the next generation of leaders. There are more women graduating from college who are looking at investment management as a great career, she said, adding that training and mentorship are critical for them to succeed.
"I hope this is a movement for women to be involved in asset management, not a moment."
She serves on the steering committee of the Institutional Allocators for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion — a consortium of asset owners that seeks to drive DEI within institutional investment teams and is a mentor for the Robert Toigo Foundation's Groundbreakers RISE program, a leadership program that targets high-potential midlevel women.
