Julia Mord was named chief investment officer of Commonfund’s outsourced CIO unit, according to a Feb. 5 news release.
Effective March 31, Mord will be responsible for overseeing the development and management of the unit’s investment program, which works with endowments, foundations and nonprofits. She will also serve as chair of Commonfund OCIO’s investment and asset allocation committees, as well as a member of the unit’s executive group.
Mord will be based in Wilton, Conn., and report to Timothy Yates Jr., president and CEO of Commonfund OCIO.
She will succeed former CIO Deborah Spalding, who was also managing director. In September, Spalding was named global head of nature finance at Conservation International, according to a news release from the Arlington, Va.-based environmental nonprofit.
Mark Anson, who is CEO and CIO of Commonfund, has served as interim CIO of the OCIO unit in the meantime, according to a spokesperson.
“We are thrilled to welcome Julia to Commonfund OCIO and look forward to leveraging her deep investment and institutional expertise as our next CIO,” Yates said in the Commonfund news release. “Julia’s investment acumen, leadership skills and established industry credibility will enhance our clients’ financial resources to help them effectively achieve their goals.”
Mord is currently the deputy CIO of Tulane University, where she leads public markets investing for the New Orleans-based university’s $2.4 billion endowment.
When Mord joined the university’s investment office in 2014, she first served as a director responsible for marketable alternatives. During her time, Mord notably led the creation of Tulane’s environmental, social and governance policy, the release added.
Mord’s last day will be Feb. 28, a spokesperson for Tulane said in an email. The deputy CIO’s responsibilities will be assumed by Jake Kriegsfeld, managing director at the university’s investment office. He has worked for Tulane since 2013, following an internship at the investment office.
Commonfund OCIO manages $19.7 billion in worldwide institutional outsourced assets.
