Amherst, MA—The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association’s® Board of Directors has appointed William (Bill) J. Kelly, an asset management industry veteran, as CEO of the CAIA Association effective January 13, 2014. Mr. Kelly brings extensive managerial and boardroom experience gained through successive CFO, COO, CEO and independent board director roles.
“Bill has led both start-ups and full scale global organizations,” said Jane Buchan, CAIA, Chair of the CAIA Association Board of Directors. “He brings vision, industry experience, and broad expertise to build upon CAIA’s success and steer its future growth. The Board fully endorses his appointment as CEO and is confident he will ensure that the CAIA Association continues to be the global leader in alternative investment education.”
Mr Kelly served as CEO of Robeco Investment Management, a subsidiary of the Netherlands-based global asset management organization with over $200 billion of assets under management, where he oversaw all aspects of United States business, including portfolio management, distribution and product development. He also was responsible for the strategic growth, introduction, and positioning of new managed products in the US and Europe, including alternative investments.
Mr. Kelly was a founder and former CEO of Boston Partners Asset Management, a self-funded partnership enterprise, which became one of the industry’s largest and most successful start-up money management organizations. He also served as CFO of The Boston Company Asset Management and earlier in his career held various positions at Bear Stearns and was an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr. Kelly currently serves on the boards of three large financial institutions.
“I am deeply honored to have been appointed to lead the CAIA Association,” said Mr. Kelly. “The organization has a stellar reputation within the industry, and is well positioned to continue generating greater awareness and support for the CAIA Charter worldwide.”
The appointment comes at the end of a rigorous international search to identify a strong and experienced leader to take the Association forward. CAIA’s current CEO and co-founder, Florence Lombard, announced her retirement last March, but agreed to stay in place until a new CEO could be appointed.
Under Ms. Lombard’s leadership, the organization has grown to a membership of 6,700 Charter Holders in more than 80 countries. CAIA also expanded the number of its global chapters to 17 located across 12 countries, and increased the number of academic partners to 22 leading universities worldwide.
“Florence has made extraordinary contributions to CAIA as co-founder, board member, and most recently as CEO,” said Jane Buchan. “She has provided outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment to CAIA from its earliest days, and the impact she has made is significant and lasting.”
About the CAIA Association
Founded in 2002, the CAIA Association® is the international leader in alternative investment education and provider of the CAIA designation, the global industry benchmark. The Association grants the CAIA Charter to industry practitioners upon the successful completion of a rigorous two-level qualifying exam. The CAIA Association advocates for the highest standards of professional conduct. Additionally, it furthers its educational mandate through the dissemination of research, webinars, videos, as well as publications. CAIA also connects alternative investment experts around the world through chapter events, networking and social media platforms.
For more information, please contact Deborah McLean, Head of External Relations at dmclean@caia.org or (413) 253-7373.
