AMHERST, MASS—The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association (CAIA) announced today that Mark J.P. Anson, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Oak Hill Investment Management, is the recipient of the 2011 Annual CAIA Leadership Award. This award, the most prestigious given for Alternative Investment leadership, is sponsored by the CAIA Association, the only organization that provides globally recognized education and training in Alternative Investments.

Anson will receive the CAIA Leadership Award in recognition of his long-standing work as a pioneer in the field of alternatives as well as his unwavering support of the CAIA Association and its mission to raise the standards of knowledge, ethics, and professionalism in this dynamic area of financial management.

Thought leadership and prolific writing on behalf of the alternative investment industry were among the rigorous criteria used by CAIA to select the recipient of this award. Anson has published over 100 research articles, won two Best Paper Awards, authored five financial textbooks including the Handbook of Alternative Assets, the primary text used by the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst program until 2009. He is also a contributing author of Core Topics in Alternative Investments, one of the textbooks used in the CAIA program now.

"CAIA is very fortunate for the immense contributions made by Mr. Anson to the industry as well as to our Association and its members. In addition to writing our original core Level I curriculum, he is also a key member of our Curriculum Advisory Committee and was one of our first CAIA charter designees in the class of September 2003," said Florence Lombard, CEO of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association, and the recipient of the 2010 CAIA Leadership Award. "Mark's dedication to alternative investment industry and his ability to integrate alternatives into some of the world's largest investment portfolios makes him a true leader and visionary who is most deserving of this award."

Anson's extraordinary career includes top roles as former president and executive director of Investment Services at Nuveen Investments, an asset management firm with nearly US$200 billion assets under management, chief executive officer of Hermes Pensions Management Ltd., an institutional asset management company with $80 billion AUM, former chief executive officer of the British Telecom Pension Scheme, the largest pension fund in the United Kingdom, and former chief investment officer of the California Public Employees' Retirement System, the largest pension fund in the United States.

"My personal experience with the CAIA program began when I was the Chief Investment Officer for the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS)," said Mr. Anson. "At that time, CalPERS was expanding its foray into Alternative Investments: Hedge Funds, Commodities, Currency, Venture Capital, and Private Equity. I realized that I needed to have the highest level of professional development in order to meet the challenges of investing in the sophisticated world of Alternative Investments. So, I decided to sit for the CAIA exam. However, achieving my charter was just a stepping stone—my CAIA training has continued to provide me with the knowledge and expertise required to be a successful investor in Alternative Assets."

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About The CAIA Association
The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association® is the global benchmark for alternative investment education. It administers the CAIA Designation and exams; sponsors research and publications; connects alternative investments experts around the world, and advocates the highest standards in professional conduct. The CAIA Association has more than 5,000 members in 75 countries and 15 affiliated Chapters. More information can be found at www.caia.org.

The CAIA Association has 15 chapters worldwide in the following locations: San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago, Canada, London, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Korea.