USS names new head of property

The Universities Superannuation Scheme’s investment management arm has named Alex Turner as its new head of property, replacing Graham Burnett in the role. Burnett (pictured above, left) will retire at the end of March after 17 years in the position. He has worked at USS Investment Management for more than 20 years and has led the property team since 2006. He will stay on as an adviser to USSIM and as non-executive director of a number of USS portfolio companies. Turner (right), who was appointed deputy head of property in 2012, is leading the pension scheme’s long-income property strategy, with deals exceeding £1bn to date. He joined USS in 2009. At USS, Turner has held a wide range of responsibilities within the property team, including having oversight of the office and alternatives portfolios. He previously worked at Hermes as well as Royal London Asset Management. USS is the principal pension scheme for universities and higher education institutions in the UK, with a property portfolio exceeding £5bn at the end of last year. Mike Powell, head of private markets at USSIM, said: “Graham has made an enormous contribution to USS over the past 20 years, and under his leadership the property team have delivered an enviable long-term track record of outperformance.  “More recently, Graham led the development of the long-income property strategy, originating assets with long-term, contracted inflation-linked cash flows, ideally suited to help USS meet its pension liabilities.” To send feedback, e-mail pui-guan.man@eg.co.uk or tweet @PuiGuanM or @EGPropertyNews Photo © Universities Superannuation Scheme/Redwood Consulting