Abu Dhabi investment authority appoints global head of external equities

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) said today that it has appointed Brian Tipple as its first Global Head of External Equities, effective immediately.
Mr. Tipple will, together with senior management, be responsible for developing, implementing and driving overall investment strategy for the External Equities Department, as well as overseeing the activities of all externally-managed portfolios. Based in Abu Dhabi, Mr. Tipple will manage the Department’s team of investment professionals and will report to Obaid Al Suwaidi, Executive Director of External Equities at ADIA.
Mr. Tipple joins ADIA after a long and distinguished career in the financial sector. Most recently, Brian was the Chief Investment Officer for Key Private Bank’s more than $30B multi-asset, multi strategy investment business serving both institutional and high net worth clients. His responsibilities, among others, included chairing the Portfolio Strategy Group and serving on the KeyBank Executive Council.
Prior to that he spent nearly 20 years spent with Russell Investments, a Seattle-based global asset manager with more than $250 billion in assets under management. From 2009 to 2012, he served as Chief Investment Officer – Equities at Russell Investments in London, managing a global team of professionals overseeing more than $100 billion in multi-strategy equity portfolios. Prior to that, he was the firm’s Chief Investment Officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Managing Director of US Equity, and also served as a member of Russell’s Investment Strategy Committee, which governs all of the firm’s investment decisions worldwide.
Before re-joining Russell Investments in 2004, Mr. Tipple was CEO and Portfolio Manager of Sirach Capital Management, an asset management firm which used to manage $8 billion in assets.
? Commenting on the appointment, Obaid Al Suwaidi, Executive Director of External Equities at ADIA, said, "Over more than three decades in the asset management industry, Brian has proven himself as an astute investor and leader with a deep understanding of global equity markets. He will play an important role in managing the Department’s existing investments, while further developing and refining our strategy in the External Equities space." A citizen of the U.S., Mr. Tipple holds a BA in Economics from Pacific Lutheran University in Washington State, is a member of the CFA Institute’s Seattle chapter and serves as a curriculum consultant to the CFA Institute on issues relating to manager research and selection.