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September 11, 2024

Lamont names MSU CIO new chairman of the CT Investment Advisory Council

Contributed Philip Zecher
By David Krechevsky

The new chairperson of the Connecticut Investment Advisory Council (IAC) isn’t a rocket scientist; he’s a nuclear physicist.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday he is appointing Philip Zecher of Stamford, currently the chief investment officer for Michigan State University, to serve as not only a new member of the IAC but as its chair as well.

Zecher will succeed the current chair, D. Ellen Shuman, who is stepping down as chair but will continue to serve on the council.

Zecher, who was a professor of finance at the Broad College of Business at MSU in 2015, was hired in 2016 to start the university’s investment office in Stamford, overseeing the school’s $4.2 billion endowment. 

Under his leadership, MSU’s endowment has risen to one of the top-performing university endowments, leading him to be named one of the top 30 endowment CIOs by Trusted Insight magazine in 2020.

Before joining MSU, Zecher was partner and chief risk officer of the Stamford-based currency hedge fund EQA Partners. In 1999, he co-founded Investor Analytics, a New York City-based risk advisory firm focused on the hedge fund and fund-of-funds industry. 

He also has served as a company director in the U.S. and Ireland and as a member of several nonprofit boards. He is a member of the investment committee for the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities.

He received his Ph.D. in nuclear physics from MSU.

The 12-member IAC is statutorily responsible for assisting the state treasurer on investment policies. It consists of five members of the public who are appointed by the governor and legislative leaders and who must have experience in matters relating to investments; three representatives of the teachers’ unions; two representatives of the state employees’ unions, and two ex-officio members, including the state treasurer and the secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. 

The governor is responsible for selecting one member to serve as chair. Members are volunteers and are not compensated.

“Phil has spent his career in the arena of finance and investment, and his experience working for organizations in both the public and private sectors will bring a fresh set of ideas and perspectives to our state as we work to increase the returns on our investments, strengthen our finances, and save taxpayers’ money,” Lamont said.  

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