Elizabeth Fernando was appointed head of long-term investment strategy at National Employment Savings Trust, London, a spokesman said.
The role is new and effective Monday. Ms. Fernando helps the investment team at the £13 billion ($17.1 billion) NEST to identify and incorporate long-term opportunities and risks into the investment process.
"NEST is gaining a fantastic asset in Liz. Her experience, particularly in private markets, will be invaluable as we continue to explore how private assets can benefit our portfolio. A key part of Liz's role will be to help evolve NEST's long-term investment strategy and plan imaginative solutions to deliver great outcomes for all our members," CIO Mark Fawcett said in an emailed statement Monday.
Ms. Fernando was head of equities at the £75 billion Universities Superannuation Scheme, London.
Due to changes in strategy to £14 billion of developed market equities announced in February, USS moved half of its public equity portfolio from traditional stock picking and hired BlackRock as transition manager to oversee the assets. As part of these changes, 13 positions were at risk of layoff, including that of Ms. Fernando.
A USS spokeswoman said the fund is searching for a head of strategic equities but Ms. Fernando's role will not be directly replaced.
