Institutional Investor is proud to recognize leaders within the allocator community for their outstanding contributions to portfolio development at the second annual AlphaEdge Recognition Dinner. Prior to the event, we sat down with Ghiané Jones, recognized in the category of Most Influential Women in Investment Management.
Ghiané has built her career on the foundation of several industries. While she was earning her bachelor’s degree in Economics at Hamilton College, she interned at a variety of firms, including at public relations and communications service provider Hill & Knowlton Strategies, at law firm Winston & Strawn LLP, and at investment bank Goldman Sachs. After graduation, Goldman Sachs hired her as an Equity Options Analyst. She later worked at Northern Trust Asset Management, and Invesco. Prior to her current role, she spent six years at Meketa Investment Group, where she was a Managing Principal, Investment Consultant in Chicago working with institutional investors such as public pension systems, non-profit organizations, and Taft Hartley pension plans.
At TRS of Illinois, she assumed the newly created role of Deputy CIO in October 2023. At the $69.5 billion public pension system, she oversees its newly established Chicago office and the Investments team.
The following has been edited for length and clarity.
What is the biggest challenge facing the industry today?
I think diversity, equity, and inclusion is still an area of improvement in the industry today. We know diversity of thought is critically important, especially as institutional investors look to drive better returns for their constituents, so the investments industry needs to build pipelines of diverse talent.
Diverse managers only comprise about 1.5% of assets under management in the United States, so cultivating diverse talent and allocating capital to diverse managers is still a challenge in the industry.
What are you most excited about?
I’m really excited about the opportunity that the energy transition presents, and I think it’s important for allocators to monitor it. It presents another potential opportunity for allocators to generate positive long-term returns for members and/or stakeholders.
Who were your mentors and what made you get into this industry?
I’ve had wonderful mentors at every firm I’ve worked for. Some were sponsors, advocating for my behalf when I wasn’t in the room, and I’ve also had more hands-on mentors, who involved me in their day-to-day work, allowing me to shadow them, and work on their projects. Both types of mentors are important for professionals to develop and cultivate. I ultimately decided to get into this industry because the capital markets are dynamic, and it requires you to evolve and learn more every day.
If you weren’t in the allocator seat, what would you be doing and why?
If I weren’t an allocator, I’d still be an Investment Consultant because I really enjoyed advising and working with my clients (allocators) to help them solve problems and drive better returns for their stakeholders.
What is the one change you’d like to bring to the industry to make it better?
I want to continue to advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the investments industry, help build pipelines of diverse talent and continue to support efforts to allocate capital to diverse and emerging managers.
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