Canada’s Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) has appointed Bruce Crane as its head of Asia Pacific and executive managing director, according to a statement on Tuesday.
Crane, who is based in Singapore, succeeds Ben Chan who retired earlier this month. Crane will report to OTPP’s chief investment officer Ziad Hindo, and lead the fund’s APAC investment activities and portfolio management across its offices in Hong Kong, Mumbai and Singapore. OTPP has over 85 staff members in the APAC region.
“As head of APAC, Bruce will play a leading role as we continue to progress our global growth strategy and deepen our investment activities across the region. He has done an outstanding job over the last three years building our Infrastructure & Natural Resources (INR) portfolio and team in APAC,” said Hindo.
“His extensive global experience, exceptional knowledge of the APAC region and the strong relationships has cultivated both inside and outside the Plan make him a natural choice for this expanded role,” he added.
Crane joined OTPP in 2020 as its first hire in Singapore and was tasked to launch and open its Asian office during the COVID-19 lockdown. During his tenure, he grew OTPP’s Asia Pacific presence and led its INR portfolio in the region. Crane has over 30 years of experience across public and private markets, investment banking and advisory services in APAC and the Americas.
OTPP is one of the world’s most prominent institutional investors. It oversees $247.2 billion of net assets as of 31 December 2022, spanning across 50 markets in an array of assets covering public and private equities, fixed income, credit, commodities, natural resources, infrastructure, real estate, and venture growth.
According to the Canadian pension fund, it has earned an annual total fund net return of 9.5% since its founding in 1990, with its proceeds used to deliver retirement income for 336,000 working members and pensioners.